A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number are missing in the wake of a vessel ferrying approximately 200 people trying to get to the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to reducing undocumented migration.
