Coastguards in Mauritania have said, more than forty (40) people have died and around another 100 missing after a boat capsized off the coast of the country, in the North West region of Africa.
A search has been launched for other passengers aboard the boat, made from tree trunk, that was heading towards Canary Islands of Spain; seventeen (17) people have been rescued.
The boat departed The Gambia six (6) days before the mishap which occurred on Tuesday, survivors revealed; it carried more than 100 people, mainly Gambian and Senegalese nationals.
The very dangerous migration over the Atlantic Ocean has become a heightening common path for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
More than 40,000 people successfully crossed over to the Canary Islands in 2024 and the Spanish non-government organisation Caminando Fronteras released an estimate which revealed that, more than 9,000 migrants died trying.
A Coastguard senior official revealed to the AFP News Agency, the migrants noticed the lights of a coastal town late on Tuesday night and “moved to one side, causing it to capsize”.
