At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing following a boat ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
