At least 89 migrants heading for Europe lost their lives when their boat capsized earlier this week off the coast of Mauritania, the state news agency said Thursday. Dozens more are still missing.
It added that the Coast Guard rescued nine people, including a five-year-old girl.
“The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large traditional fishing boat that capsized on Monday, July 1, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean” about four kilometres from the country’s southwest city of Ndiago, the state news agency said.
Reports say the boat began its journey from the border of Senegal and Gambia with about 170 passengers on board, which means there are at least 70 still missing.
Even though the Atlantic route poses significant dangers due to its powerful currents, the route has become more popular due to increased scrutiny in the Mediterranean.
According to the Spanish government, the number of migrants arriving at Spain’s Canary Islands surged to almost 40,000 in 2023, more than doubling in just one year.
In the first five months of this year, over 5,000 migrants lost their lives attempting to reach Spain by sea, accounting for an average of 33 fatalities per day, as reported by Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish charity. This marks the highest daily death toll since 2007, with the majority of deaths occurring on the Atlantic route.