Mauritania’s national news agency reported on Thursday (July 4) that earlier this week, a ship carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized near the Mauritanian coast, resulting in at least 89 deaths and dozens missing.
According to the report by the Mauritanian national news agency, “The Mauritanian Coast Guard found 89 bodies on a large traditional fishing boat that capsized on Monday, July 1, off the Atlantic coast.”
The incident occurred about 4 kilometers from the southwestern Mauritanian city of Ndiago.
Nine migrants were rescued, including a 5-year-old girl, as reported by the official media outlet.
Survivors mentioned that the ship had departed from the Senegal and Gambia border with 170 people onboard, indicating that 72 people are currently missing.
A local government senior official, who preferred to remain anonymous, provided similar information to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The ship was navigating a dangerous route known for swift water currents in the Atlantic Ocean and eventually capsized due to strong winds and huge waves. Such migrant smuggling ships are usually overloaded and often unseaworthy, lacking sufficient drinking water supplies.
Every year, thousands of West African migrants take the risk of crossing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean to seek work and opportunity in Europe.
According to the Spanish government, in 2023, the number of migrants arriving at the Canary Islands, a part of Spain located about 100 kilometers off the northwest coast of Africa, more than doubled in a year to a record 39,910 people.
Data from the Spanish charity organization “Caminando Fronteras” shows that in the first five months of this year, over 5,000 people died while attempting to reach Spain via sea routes, equivalent to an average of 33 deaths per day. The vast majority of these deceased migrants lost their lives on the Atlantic route.
Earlier this year, the European Union pledged 210 million euros (approximately 229 million dollars) in financial support to Mauritania, a former French colony, to address the migration issues facing Europe and provide humanitarian assistance to migrants.