A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing following a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
