No fewer than seven people have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
