A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a boat ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials 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 victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
