A minimum of seven people have perished and a significant number are missing after a boat transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
