No fewer than seven people have perished and many others are lost after a craft ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
