At least seven people have died and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
