A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost after a boat ferrying approximately two hundred people attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
