Bodies of 89 migrants retrieved from the Atlantic
Mauritanian coastguards have recovered 89 bodies from a migrant boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.
Nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued, but many remain missing.
Survivors reported that the vessel, a traditional fishing boat, set sail last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border area with 170 people on board. It capsized off Mauritania’s southwestern coast.
Mauritania is a key transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats departing from the country last year.
The most common destination on this perilous route is Spain’s Canary Islands.
The Spanish government reports that nearly 40,000 people arrived there last year, double the number from the previous year.
Desperate to reach Europe, migrants often travel in overloaded boats.
The Caminando Fronteras charity estimates that over 5,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024.
In April, the EU granted Mauritania €210m (£177m; $225m) in aid – almost €60m of which will be invested in the fight against undocumented migration to Europe.