The Mauritanian coast guard retrieved the bodies of 89 people aboard a large traditional Mauritanian fishing boat that capsized in the Atlantic four days ago, about four kilometers off the city of Ndiago in West Africa, as reported by the country’s news agency yesterday.
According to survivors, the boat set off from the Senegal-Gambia border with 170 passengers, bound for Europe. The Mauritanian coast guard rescued nine individuals, including a 5-year-old girl, leaving 72 people still missing. This Atlantic route is dangerous due to strong currents, with migrants often traveling in overcrowded and inadequate boats lacking sufficient drinking water.
Migrants choose this route due to increased patrols in the Mediterranean.
The increase in flows through this route is evident in the number of migrants landing on Spain’s Canary Islands in 2023, which more than doubled within a year to reach a record 39,910, according to the Spanish government.
In total, more than 5,000 migrants have lost their lives trying to reach Spain by sea since early 2024, averaging approximately 33 deaths per day. This represents the highest daily death toll since at least 2007, with the majority of fatalities occurring along this specific Atlantic route.
