A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel carrying approximately 200 people trying to get to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing illegal migration.
