Migrant Ship Sinks Near Mauritania

2025-08-30 05:55:55

(MENAFN) More than 140 individuals are feared to have perished on Friday when a migrant vessel headed for Spain’s Canary Islands sank off the coast of Mauritania, as reported by Spanish media.

Authorities in Mauritania informed a Spanish news agency that at least 70 bodies were retrieved, alongside 17 survivors.

According to the Spanish NGO Walking Borders, it is believed that around 160 people were onboard the ill-fated ship.

“This is one of the biggest tragedies of the summer,” said Helena Maleno, head of Walking Borders, in an interview with a Spanish broadcaster.

The shipwreck occurred approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott, on Thursday, as per the news agency, although the vessel had set sail from The Gambia.

The migration route to the Canary Islands – which involves crossing the Atlantic from northwest Africa to the Spanish archipelago – is regarded as one of the deadliest in the world.

Official statistics indicate that nearly 47,000 people arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024, while Walking Borders estimates that over 9,750 lost their lives along the journey.

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