A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number are lost after a boat carrying around 200 people seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
