No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
