No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying about 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
