- Bodies of 89 migrants retrieved from Atlantic
- Nine survivors, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued, but dozens remain missing
- It’s reported that 170 people were on board the boat which set sail last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border
- The tragedy occurred off Mauritania’s southwestern coast, a key transit point for West African migrants heading to Europe
Bodies of 89 migrants retrieved from Atlantic
Mauritanian coastguards have recovered 89 bodies from a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. Nine survivors, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued, but dozens remain missing.
Survivors reported that the vessel, a traditional fishing boat, set sail last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border area with 170 people on board. The tragedy occurred off Mauritania’s southwestern coast, a key transit point for West African migrants heading to Europe.
Thousands of boats departed from Mauritania last year, with Spain’s Canary Islands being the most common destination. Nearly 40,000 people arrived there in 2023, double the previous year’s number, according to the Spanish government.
Migrants often travel in overloaded boats, making the journey perilous. The Caminando Fronteras charity estimates that over 5,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024.
In April, the European Union granted Mauritania €210 million in aid, with nearly €60 million allocated to combat undocumented migration to Europe.