No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are missing in the wake of a boat carrying about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several North African countries designed to reducing illegal migration.
