No fewer than seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
