A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
