No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat ferrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with several North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
