Numerous People Lost After Vessel Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down in waters off The Gambia.

A minimum of seven people have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.

The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.

Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.

The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach the EU.

Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.

Search and Rescue Efforts

After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military said.

Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.

The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.

A Frequent Pathway

Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips over water and land.

Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with several Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.