At least 15 people have died, and over 150 are missing after a boat carrying 300 passengers capsized near Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.
“Approximately 300 people boarded a pirogue in The Gambia and spent seven days at sea before the boat capsized near Nouakchott on July 22, 2024,” the IOM reported on Wednesday.
The United Nations migration agency confirmed that 120 people had been rescued by the Mauritanian Coast Guard, and efforts were ongoing to locate the missing individuals.
“Among the survivors, 10 people were urgently referred to hospitals for medical care, and four unaccompanied and separated children were identified,” the IOM added.
Ibba Sarr, a fishmonger at a waterside fish market in Nouakchott, mentioned that strong winds over the past two days had brought bodies closer to the shore. “I saw around 30 bodies being collected from the beach,” he told Reuters. “Surely, more lifeless bodies will be discovered in the next two days.”
The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, typically used by Africans seeking asylum or better work opportunities in Europe, is one of the world’s deadliest. Summer is its busiest period.
More than 19,700 people reached the Canary Islands via the Atlantic route between January 1 and July 15, 2024, marking a 160 percent increase compared to the same period last year, the IOM reported. However, nearly 5,000 people have died at sea in the first five months of 2024 while trying to reach the Spanish archipelago, according to migration rights group Walking Borders.
Earlier this year, the European Union pledged financial support worth 210 million euros ($229 million) to Mauritania to address migration and provide humanitarian aid. However, rights groups and migration analysts argue that the EU’s policy of externalizing migration management through such deals is unlikely to deter people fleeing conflicts and economic instability from attempting to enter Europe and seek asylum.
