At least seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing following a craft transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
