A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a boat ferrying approximately two hundred people trying to get to Europe sank in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with several North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
