A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are missing after a boat ferrying about two hundred people trying to get to European shores sank in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
