No fewer than seven people have died and many others are missing after a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
