Tragedy Off Mauritania: 89 Bodies Recovered from Capsized Migrant Boat

At least 89 bodies were recovered off the coast of Mauritania after a boat carrying migrants capsized. The vessel was bound for Europe and carried 170 people. Local authorities have been burying the dead, with the death toll potentially reaching 105. Nine people, including a young girl, were rescued.

At least 89 bodies have been recovered off the coast of Mauritania after a migrant boat capsized this week, according to the West African country's state news agency and the head of a local fishing association.

The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants aiming for Spain, has become one of the world's deadliest passages. This summer marks its busiest period.

The Mauritanian coast guard announced on Thursday that the bodies recovered were of migrants en route to Europe on a boat carrying 170 people. Nine survivors were rescued, including a five-year-old girl.

Efforts to reach Mauritanian authorities for comment were unsuccessful. Yali Fall, president of a fishing association in Ndiago, reported on Friday that the death toll had risen to 105, with locals burying bodies from the coast since Monday. "For three days, we buried the dead whose bodies were found," Fall said.

In the first five months of 2024, nearly 5,000 migrants perished at sea while attempting to reach the Canary Islands, according to migration rights group Walking Borders. Arrivals to the archipelago have surged fivefold to over 16,500 compared to the previous year, Spanish interior ministry data shows.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)