A minimum of seven souls have perished and many others are missing after a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased 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.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
