A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a boat transporting approximately two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
