A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at reducing irregular migration.
