A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a craft transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
