No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are missing following a vessel ferrying about 200 people attempting to reach European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
