No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
