No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel transporting approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
