A minimum of seven people have died and many others are lost after a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to reducing irregular migration.
