At least seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost following a vessel ferrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
