No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are lost following a boat ferrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
