A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying around 200 people trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
