At least 89 migrants heading to Europe died when their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, the state news agency reported on Thursday. Dozens more remain missing.
The report mentioned that the Coast Guard rescued nine people, including a five-year-old girl.
“The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people from a large traditional fishing boat that capsized on Monday, July 1, about four kilometers from the southwest city of Ndiago,” the state news agency stated.
The boat reportedly started its journey from the Senegal-Gambia border with around 170 passengers, indicating that at least 70 people are still unaccounted for.
Despite the Atlantic route’s significant dangers due to strong currents, it has become more popular because of increased scrutiny in the Mediterranean.
According to the Spanish government, nearly 40,000 migrants arrived at Spain’s Canary Islands in 2023, more than doubling from the previous year.
In the first five months of this year, over 5,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea, averaging 33 fatalities per day, as reported by the Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras.
This is the highest daily death toll since 2007, with most deaths occurring on the Atlantic route.
