At least seven people lost their lives and many others are missing following a craft transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
