At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are missing after a vessel ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
