At least 89 migrants lost their lives when their boat overturned near the coast of Mauritania on Monday, as reported by the Mauritanian state news agency on Thursday.
The Mauritanian Coast Guard retrieved the bodies of the migrants who were on a large traditional fishing boat when it capsized, according to the agency. Nine individuals were rescued, including a 5-year-old girl, the report stated.
The boat had departed from the Gambia–Senegal border six days prior, heading to Europe with at least 170 migrants on board, as per the survivors’ accounts cited by the agency.
Every year, thousands of West African migrants undertake dangerous journeys across the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe in search of employment and opportunities.
