A minimum of seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a boat carrying around two hundred people trying to get to European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
