A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others are missing after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
