A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
