At least seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting approximately two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
