A minimum of seven people have perished and a significant number are lost after a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to curtailing irregular migration.
