At least seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft carrying approximately two hundred people trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
