At least 69 people have died and dozens more remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania, the country’s coastguard confirmed.
Seventeen survivors were rescued, while search operations continue for others who had been aboard the wooden canoe, which was headed toward Spain’s Canary Islands. Officials said the vessel sank about 60 kilometers north of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, where divers have been deployed to inspect the wreckage.
According to survivors, the boat departed The Gambia six days earlier carrying around 160 migrants, most of them from Gambia and Senegal. The accident occurred Tuesday night after passengers reportedly rushed to one side of the vessel upon seeing the lights of a nearby coastal town, causing it to overturn.
A Deadly Route to Europe
The Atlantic passage to the Canary Islands has become one of the most heavily used — and most dangerous — migration routes from Africa to Europe. Nearly 47,000 people reached the islands in 2024, while rights group Caminando Fronteras estimates that more than 9,000 migrants died attempting the crossing last year.
Helen Maleno, a spokesperson for the NGO, called the Mauritania tragedy one of the worst migrant disasters of the summer and urged authorities to continue search operations.
Concerns Over Migrant Treatment
The disaster comes amid criticism of Mauritanian authorities. Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch accused the country’s security forces of mistreating migrants from other African nations. The group said abuses had intensified since Mauritania struck an agreement with the European Union and Spain to curb sea crossings to the Canary Islands.
