A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others are missing following a vessel ferrying around 200 people seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
