At least seven people have perished and many others are lost in the wake of a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
