🔗 Share this article Scores Unaccounted For After Vessel Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Sinks near the coast of The Gambia. The shipwrecked vessel was found stranded on a shoal, authorities say. At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others are missing after a vessel transporting approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm. The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "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 on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain. The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations. Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey. Rescue Operation In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said. Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified. The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention. A Common Migration Route Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land. Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.