A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
