At least seven souls have died and many others are lost in the wake of a craft carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
