No fewer than seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
