A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates over 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
