A minimum of seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft carrying around two hundred people seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
