A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost after a boat carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
