A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others are missing in the wake of a boat carrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to reducing undocumented migration.
