The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday that at least 143 refugees and migrants are dead or missing from a single boat that was stranded off the coast of Mauritania. The vessel, which departed from The Gambia, was rescued on July 18 after being adrift for 25 days and was brought to the port of Nouadhibou with 38 survivors on board.
In a statement from Geneva, the UNHCR confirmed the boat had set off from Bafuloto, The Gambia, before becoming stranded at sea. The agency noted that the incident was one of several in the region, with three separate rescue operations between July 14 and July 18 saving a total of 387 people from other boats in distress off Mauritania.
UNHCR spokesperson Matt Saltmarsh provided further details during a press briefing. “Among the survivors of… that ship were two children who have lost all their family members during the journey, and they are recovering in hospital,” Saltmarsh said. He confirmed the deceased were from sub-Saharan African countries but did not provide specifics on the cause of death during the journey. An additional fatality was reported from a separate vessel that disembarked in Mauritania on July 14.
Mauritania’s coastguard provided a different count for the main incident, reporting that the boat had left The Gambia with 160 people on board and ran out of fuel. According to their figures, 122 people were missing from that vessel.
The UNHCR described the Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands as “one of the world’s deadliest,” citing the long distances and the use of overcrowded and unseaworthy boats for the crossing. The agency called for increased access to education and employment opportunities in the region to offer alternatives to such journeys.
Mauritania is a known departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Atlantic. Tens of thousands of individuals attempt the crossing to the Canary Islands annually.
