A minimum of seven individuals have died and many others are lost in the wake of a craft transporting around 200 people trying to get to Europe sank in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign 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 critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
