A minimum of seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at reducing irregular migration.
