On Monday, a boat carrying 300 passengers capsized off the coast near Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, resulting in 15 deaths and over 150 people missing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, commonly used by migrants seeking to reach Spain, is among the deadliest globally, especially during the busy summer months.
The IOM reported that the Mauritanian coastguard rescued 120 individuals, 10 of whom were hospitalized, while search efforts for the missing continued. The passengers, who were traveling from Gambia, had been at sea for seven days before the vessel sank.
Ibba Sarr, a fishmonger in Nouakchott, observed that strong winds over the past two days had washed around 30 bodies ashore. He expects more bodies to be discovered soon. The capsized boat was found 400 meters north of the fish market.
Mauritanian authorities have not responded to requests for comment from Reuters. The IOM noted that over 19,700 migrants reached the Canary Islands via the Atlantic route from January 1 to July 15, 2024, marking a 160% increase compared to the same period last year.
Migration rights group Walking Borders reported nearly 5,000 migrant deaths at sea in the first five months of 2024, as they attempted to reach the Spanish archipelago.
