A boat carrying more than 200 migrants has sunk off the coast of Gambia, killing at least seven people and leaving several others missing, according to authorities.
Rescue operations involving the Gambian navy and other vessels managed to save 96 people, some of whom are reported to be in critical condition.
The wrecked boat was found stranded on a sandbank near the village of Jinak.
The Gambian government stated that preliminary identification showed that some of the victims were not Gambian nationals, while investigations are ongoing to determine the identities of the remaining individuals.
The incident comes amid increasingly dangerous migration routes, as migrants embark on longer journeys from Gambian and Guinean coastlines following tighter border controls in neighboring countries.
