🔗 Share this article Dozens Missing Following Craft Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Sinks in waters off The Gambia. The shipwrecked vessel was found stranded on a shoal, authorities say. At least seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel carrying approximately two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm. The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially. Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain. The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU. Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey. Rescue Operation After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said. Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked. The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care. An Established Corridor The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land. Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing illegal migration.