No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.
