No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost after a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
