From a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, 89 migrant bodies have been recovered by Mauritania’s coastguards. A five-year-old girl was among the nine people who were saved, but scores more remain unaccounted for. According to survivors, the traditional fishing boat carrying 170 passengers sailed last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border region. It overturned near the southwest coast of Mauritania.
Thousands of boats left Mauritania last year as a major transit country for migrants attempting to travel from West Africa to Europe. The Canary Islands in Spain are the most popular stop along the treacherous route.
“89 migrants’ bodies were recovered from the Atlantic”
According to the Spanish government, there were almost 40,000 new arrivals last year, which is twice as many as the year before. Migrants frequently sail in overcrowded boats in their desperation to reach Europe. The Ca-minando Fronteras charity estimates that in the first five months of 2024, over 5,000 migrants perished while attempting to reach Spain by sea.
The European Union provided Mauritania with €210 million (£177 million; $225 million) in aid in April; nearly €60 million of that amount will go towards combating unauthorised immigration to Europe.
[BBC]
