A minimum of seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat transporting around two hundred people seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations aimed at reducing illegal migration.
