A minimum of seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
