No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others are missing in the wake of a craft carrying around 200 people seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry 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 capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
