At least 69 migrants have been confirmed dead after a boat capsized earlier this week off the coast of Mauritania, officials told AFP on Friday.
The tragic incident occurred late Tuesday night, approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital.
According to a senior coastguard official, panic broke out onboard when migrants spotted the lights of a nearby town and rushed to one side of the boat, causing it to overturn.
Authorities were initially reporting 49 casualties, but that figure was later revised to 69 after further search and recovery efforts.
A coastguard patrol rescued 17 survivors from the water.
According to those rescued, the boat had departed The Gambia about a week earlier, carrying around 160 people, mostly Gambians and Senegalese nationals.
Officials have not disclosed the boat’s intended destination, but it’s believed the migrants were attempting to reach Europe, a route known for its high fatality rate due to dangerous sea conditions and the use of overcrowded, poorly equipped vessels.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly incidents involving migrant boats.
On August 4, 76 people died and dozens went missing after a boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants sank off the Yemeni coast.
On August 13, at least 20 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea after their boat capsized near Lampedusa, Italy.
The vessel had been carrying 97 people. Aid group Save the Children reported that a 1.5-year-old girl was among the missing.
In 2024 alone, over 10,000 migrants lost their lives attempting to cross to Spain by sea, according to the rights group Caminando Fronteras.
Deadly incidents like these highlight the risks faced by thousands of migrants fleeing poverty, conflict, and insecurity in search of a better life in Europe or the Gulf region.
The Atlantic route from West Africa and the Red Sea crossing to Yemen remain among the most perilous paths, often navigated in unsafe boats without proper equipment or navigation tools.
As of now, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
