At least seven people have died and many others are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores capsized in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several North African nations with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
