No fewer than seven people have died and many others are missing following a vessel ferrying about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
