A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft transporting around 200 people seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.