No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel ferrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
