A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing after a boat ferrying approximately two hundred people attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
