A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying around two hundred people attempting to reach European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
