A minimum of seven people lost their lives and many others are lost after a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers 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 African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
