(MENAFN) Mauritania's coast guard pulled 227 irregular migrants from a distressed vessel off Nouadhibou's coast Saturday, ending a harrowing journey that began in Gambia more than ten days earlier.

Coast guard patrols intercepted the boat following what authorities described in an official statement as a "tragic" sea voyage. Passengers—including women and children—suffered severe dehydration and starvation during the extended crossing.

The rescued group comprised multiple African nationalities: 135 individuals from Gambia, 73 from Guinea, with additional passengers from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, according to the coast guard's statement.

Emergency medical teams and food supplies were deployed immediately upon the migrants' arrival at Nouadhibou port. Tragically, one Senegalese migrant succumbed shortly after hospital admission.

Mauritania has emerged as a critical transit corridor for African migrants attempting to reach European shores, with Nouadhibou—the nation's northern coastal city—functioning as a primary departure hub in recent years.

The West African nation has forged migration control partnerships with multiple European countries, most prominently Spain, aimed at stemming irregular maritime crossings.

In recent months, Mauritanian authorities have dramatically intensified naval surveillance operations, intercepting dozens of migrant vessels traversing territorial waters en route to Europe.

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