No fewer than seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing following a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
