No fewer than seven people have died and numerous others are missing following a craft carrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
