Tragedy Off Mauritania Coast: 15 Dead, Over 195 Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes

News DeskJuly 25, 2024

1 minute read

TOPSHOT - Bystanders look at covered bodies of migrants who perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Mauritania while on a beach outside Nouakchott on July 24, 2024. At least 15 migrants have died and dozens are missing after their boat capsized off Mauritania, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and local sources said Wednesday, the latest in a string of migrant tragedies off the coast of West Africa. A Mauritanian coastguard official told AFP on condition of anonymity that at least 25 bodies had been recovered while 103 people were rescued, while several dozen were missing following Monday's disaster. (Photo by MED LEMINE RAJEL / AFP)

A migrant boat capsized near Mauritania's capital
Mauritanian coastguards have rescued 120 survivors
The incident highlights the perilous journey undertaken by migrants attempting to reach Europe

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Wednesday that at least 15 people have perished and more than 195 are unaccounted for following the capsizing of a migrant boat near Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital.

According to the IOM, Mauritanian coastguards have rescued 120 individuals since the boat overturned on Monday, including unaccompanied and separated children.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of 15 migrants and the estimated disappearance of over 195 people after a boat capsized in Nouakchott,” stated IOM’s West and Central Africa office.

Efforts are currently underway to locate the missing passengers. The migrants had boarded the vessel in Gambia seven days prior to the incident. The IOM did not specify the nationalities of the deceased or provide details on how the boat capsized.

The IOM highlighted that the incident occurred amidst an increase in migration along the West Atlantic Route. In 2024 alone, over 19,700 migrants have irregularly arrived in the Canary Islands via this route, compared to 7,590 during the same period last year.

Since June 2024, approximately 6,130 surviving migrants have arrived in Mauritania aboard more than 76 boats, with at least 190 fatalities and missing migrants recorded, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.