At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack 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 were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African nations aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
