A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a vessel carrying around 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
