At least seven people have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
