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CatastropheMauritania

Dozens killed, many missing in migrant wreck off Mauritania

July 24, 2024

At least 300 people, mostly from Senegal and Gambia, were on board when their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania. At least 25 people have died and some 150 are missing.

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A live vest hangs on a boat and rescue personnel stand, out of focus, in the foreground
There were some 300 people on a boat that later capsized, the IOM saidImage: Luca Zennaro/EPA

At least 25 people died and many more were missing after a migrant boat capsized off Mauritania .

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and local sources, the disaster occurred Monday. Around 300 people were estimated to be on the boat, and 120 of them were rescued by the Mauritanian coast guard.

"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 said in a statement.

"Among the survivors, 10 people were urgently referred to hospitals for medical care, and four unaccompanied and separated children were identified." 

Mauritanian migrant route treacherous

Since June, more than 76 boats with more than 6,000 surviving migrants have disembarked in Mauritania, but at least 190 people have died or are missing, the IOM statement added.

In May, 26 people from Guinea died when their boat sank off Senegal and in early July, just under 90 people who had set sail for Europe died when their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania.

According to the IOM, more than 19,700 migrants reached the Canary Islands using the Atlantic route between January 1 and July 15, 2024, which represents a 160% increase compared to the same period last year.

Almost 5,000 people are estimated to have died at sea in the first five months of 2024 trying to reach the Spanish archipelago, migration rights group Walking Borders said in June.

km/sms (AFP, Reuters)