At least seven individuals have perished and many others are lost after a craft transporting about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
