At least seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.
