At least 69 people have died and dozens remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania while attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, local coast guard officials confirmed.
Seventeen survivors were rescued, while search operations continue for other passengers who were aboard the overloaded canoe carrying around 160 people, mostly from Gambia and Senegal.
According to survivors, the vessel departed from Gambia six days before the tragedy on Tuesday. The Mauritanian coast guard said the boat overturned roughly 60 kilometers north of Nouakchott, the country’s capital. Rescue divers are preparing to inspect the sunken wreck.
Officials told AFP that the accident occurred when migrants spotted the lights of a coastal town late Tuesday and rushed to one side of the boat, causing it to capsize.
The incident highlights the deadly risks of the Atlantic migration route, increasingly used by African migrants attempting to reach Europe. Last year alone, nearly 47,000 people arrived in the Canary Islands, while Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras estimates that more than 9,000 migrants died attempting the crossing.
A recent report by Human Rights Watch claimed that violations against migrants have worsened under a cooperation agreement between the European Union and Spain, aimed at curbing dangerous sea crossings to the Canary Islands, according to the BBC.
