No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are lost after a craft ferrying around two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with several North African countries designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
