At least seven people have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel transporting around 200 people attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
