Fifteen migrants have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Mauritania, with over 190 people still missing, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The incident occurred near Nouakchott, where a rescue operation is ongoing. The Mauritanian coastguard reported rescuing 120 people, including four unaccompanied children.
The IOM stated that around 300 people had boarded a wooden pirogue boat in Gambia, spending seven days at sea before the boat capsized on July 22. Fifteen were confirmed dead upon the coastguard’s arrival, and 10 others were hospitalized for urgent medical care.
Ibba Sarr, a fishmonger in Nouakchott, told Reuters that strong winds had pushed bodies closer to the shore. Sarr reported seeing about 30 bodies collected from the beach and anticipated more would be discovered in the coming days.
This disaster follows a similar incident on July 5, when Mauritanian coastguards recovered the bodies of 89 migrants from a capsized boat. Many migrants aim to reach the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, a route known as one of the world’s deadliest.
In the first five months of 2024, over 5,000 migrants died attempting to reach Spain by sea, according to the charity Caminando Fronteras. Last year, 40,000 people arrived in the Canary Islands, more than double the number in 2022, per Spanish government data.
In April, the EU provided Mauritania with €210 million ($225 million) in aid, with almost €60 million allocated to combat undocumented migration to Europe.
