A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and many others are missing after a boat ferrying around 200 people attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
