A minimum of seven people have perished and numerous others are lost after a boat transporting about two hundred people seeking to enter Europe capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
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.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
