At least seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
