A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a vessel ferrying about 200 people trying to get to the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at limiting irregular migration.
