No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are missing following a vessel carrying about 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to reducing illegal migration.
