No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
