A minimum of seven people have died and many others are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
