No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
