A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost after a boat carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard 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 African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
