69 people drown after migrant boat capsizes off Mauritania

A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, resulting in a confirmed death of 69 people, according to coastguard officials on Friday.

The incident occurred late on Tuesday and the vessel, which was approximately carrying 160 migrants, reportedly overturned after passengers shifted to one side of the boat upon spotting the lights of a coastal town about 50 miles (80km) north of the capital, Nouakchott.

The head of the coastguard, Mohamed Abdullah told reporters, “When the migrants saw the lights of the Muhirat, they tried to move to one part of the boat, causing it to capsize.”

Keeping in view the statements from the migrants, the boat had left the Gambia a week earlier carrying about 160 people on board including Senegalese and Gambian nationals.

The official death toll has been raised to 69 after a subsequent count from the initial report of 49.

Meanwhile, seventeen people were rescued from the water by the coastguard.

Thousands of migrants have died in recent years during the dangerous sea voyage between Africa and Europe, due to strong ocean currents and poorly maintained boats.

At least 10,457 migrants died while attempting to reach Spain by sea in 2024, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.

Officials did not say where the migrants in Tuesday’s accidents were headed.