At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a vessel carrying about 200 migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to reducing illegal migration.
