At least seven souls have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft carrying about 200 people trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
