A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
