No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a boat transporting about 200 people attempting to reach the European continent capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
