No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost following a boat transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
