More than 140 migrants are feared dead after a boat bound for Spain’s Canary Islands sank off the coast of Mauritania, in what aid groups are calling one of the deadliest tragedies of the summer, reported by APP.
Mauritanian authorities told Spain’s EFE news agency that at least 70 bodies have been recovered, while 17 survivors were pulled from the water. The wooden vessel, carrying roughly 160 people, went down on Thursday about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the capital, Nouakchott, after departing from The Gambia.
“This is one of the biggest tragedies of the summer,” said Helena Maleno, head of the Spanish NGO Walking Borders, which monitors migrant crossings.
The route from West Africa to the Canary Islands—an Atlantic passage notorious for its length, strong currents, and treacherous conditions—has long been one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors. Though thousands attempt the journey each year, many do so in overcrowded and poorly equipped boats, leaving them vulnerable to capsizing or drifting for days without rescue.
Official Spanish figures show that nearly 47,000 migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024, the highest number in over a decade. But Walking Borders estimates that more than 9,750 people died or went missing during the crossing in the same period—a toll that underscores the peril migrants face in pursuit of safety or opportunity in Europe.
The Gambian government has not yet released an official statement on the sinking. Local media report that families are still waiting anxiously for word of missing relatives.
As rescue teams continue to search the waters off Mauritania, aid groups are again urging European governments to expand safe migration pathways. Without them, Maleno warned, the Atlantic will remain a mass grave.
