At least seven souls have died and many others are lost after a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
