At least seven individuals have died and many others are missing following a craft carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
