At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost following a craft carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
