No fewer than seven people have perished and many others are lost in the wake of a boat transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
