Survivors recounted that the vessel, a traditional fishing boat, departed from the Senegalese-Gambian border area last week with 170 people on board. It capsized off Mauritania’s southwestern coast.
Mauritania serves as a crucial transit point for migrants aiming to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats setting sail from the country annually. The most common destination on this hazardous route is Spain’s Canary Islands. According to the Spanish government, nearly 40,000 migrants arrived there last year, a figure that has doubled from the previous year.
