69 Migrants Die as Boat Capsizes Off Mauritania Coast

ByChioma NdukwuAugust 29, 20251 Mins read40 Views

Migrants aboard a Guradia di Finanza and Navy military vessel are tranferred from the so-called migrant "Hotspot" operational processing facility on the southern Italian Island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, to another center, on July 11, 2022. (Photo by Alessandro SERRANO / AFP)

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Authorities in Mauritania have confirmed that 69 people died earlier this week after a migrant boat capsized off the country’s coast.

The tragedy occurred late Tuesday night when passengers on the boat reportedly rushed to one side after spotting lights from a nearby town, about 80 kilometers north of Nouakchott, causing the vessel to overturn, according to a senior coastguard official.

Seventeen people were rescued during the incident. The boat, which left The Gambia a week earlier, was carrying about 160 people, including Gambian and Senegalese nationals, officials said.

Initial figures put the death toll at 49, but authorities later updated the number to 69.

The incident adds to a series of migrant tragedies in recent weeks. On August 4, at least 76 migrants were killed off the coast of Yemen, while more lives were lost in separate accidents in the Mediterranean earlier this month.

The route across the Atlantic remains one of the deadliest for migrants trying to reach Europe, with thousands losing their lives each year due to rough seas and unsafe vessels.