At least 69 migrants lost their lives after a wooden boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania, the country’s coastguard confirmed. Dozens of others remain missing, while 17 survivors were rescued as search operations continue in the Atlantic waters.
According to survivors, the vessel left The Gambia six days before the tragedy and was headed towards Spain’s Canary Islands. Around 160 people, mostly Gambian and Senegalese nationals, were on board when the accident happened on Tuesday.
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Officials said the boat overturned about 60 kilometers north of Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital, after passengers rushed to one side upon seeing the lights of a nearby town. Divers have been deployed to inspect the sunken vessel, while coastguard teams continue to search for more bodies and possible survivors.
The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands has become a major path for African migrants trying to reach Europe despite being one of the deadliest. Nearly 47,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands last year, but according to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, more than 9,000 people died attempting the dangerous crossing.
Helen Maleno, spokesperson for Caminando Fronteras, described the incident as one of the worst “tragedies of this summer” and urged Mauritanian authorities to keep up the search efforts.
The disaster comes just days after Human Rights Watch accused Mauritanian security forces of mistreating migrants, an issue reportedly worsened by an agreement between the European Union, Spain, and Mauritania to limit sea crossings.
