No fewer than seven people have died and numerous others are missing after a craft transporting about 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates over 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the military said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
