At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying around two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
