A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost in the wake of a boat transporting approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing irregular migration.
