No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
