No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting around 200 people seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates over 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
