At least seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft transporting approximately 200 people trying to get to Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
