At least 89 migrants died when their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania on Monday, the Mauritanian state-run news agency said on Thursday, Report informs via CNN.
The Mauritanian Coast Guard’s officers recovered the migrants’ bodies who were aboard a large traditional fishing boat when it capsized, the agency said. Nine people were rescued, including a 5-year-old girl, the agency reported.
The boat capsized off the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the country’s southwest city of Ndiago, the state-run news organization said.
The boat, which left the Gambia–Senegal border six days ago, was bound for Europe and had at least 170 migrants on board, the agency said, citing survivors.
Thousands of West African migrants take on perilous crossings on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe in search of jobs and opportunities every year.
