No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around two hundred people attempting to reach Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
