No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in last year and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
