A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates more than 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
