At least seven people have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack 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 hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
