At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with several Maghreb states designed to reducing irregular migration.
