105 Dead, Many Missing as Migrant Boat Capsizes off Mauritania Coast

Nouakchott (Mauritania): At least 89 bodies have been recovered off the coast of Mauritania following a tragic migrant boat capsizing this week, as reported by the country’s state news agency and a local fishing association.

The incident occurred along the perilous Atlantic migration route used by African migrants attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, known for its high fatality rates, especially during the busy summer period.

Mauritania’s state news agency confirmed on Thursday that the coast guard retrieved the bodies of 89 migrants from a vessel carrying 170 people bound for Europe.

Local authorities have been unable to provide further comment on the incident.

Yali Fall, president of the fishing association in Ndiago, disclosed that the death toll has reached 105, with community members undertaking burials for recovered bodies since Monday.

An alarming report by migration rights group Walking Borders highlighted nearly 5,000 migrant deaths at sea in the first five months of 2024, with arrivals to the Canary Islands surging over fivefold compared to the previous year, according to data from the Spanish interior ministry.