A tragic maritime disaster unfolded off the coast of Mauritania on July 22, 2024, when a migrant boat carrying approximately 300 people capsized near the capital city of Nouakchott. The vessel, which had departed from Gambia and was bound for Spain’s Canary Islands, sank after seven days at sea. As of July 24, at least 25 deaths have been confirmed by Mauritanian authorities, with over 150 people still missing.The Mauritanian coast guard has rescued 103 survivors, with 10 requiring immediate hospitalization. Among the rescued were four unaccompanied minors. The passengers were primarily from Senegal and Gambia, highlighting the diverse nationalities involved in these perilous journeys.This incident underscores the growing crisis along the Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, which is considered one of the world’s deadliest. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports a staggering 160% increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands in 2024 compared to the same period last year, with over 19,700 migrants reaching the Spanish archipelago between January 1 and July 15.The tragedy off Mauritania is part of a broader trend of maritime disasters in the region. Since June 2024, over 6,000 surviving migrants have disembarked in Mauritania, with at least 190 reported dead or missing. The IOM’s ‘Missing Migrants’ project has recorded over 4,500 deaths and disappearances on this route since 2014, including more than 1,950 deaths in 2023 alone.As search and rescue efforts continue, this latest disaster serves as a grim reminder of the urgent need for safe and legal migration pathways, as well as increased international cooperation to address the root causes driving people to undertake such dangerous journeys.
Key points
- A migrant boat carrying approximately 300 people capsized off the coast of Mauritania on July 22, 2024, resulting in at least 25 confirmed deaths and over 150 missing.
- The incident highlights the dangers of the Atlantic migration route, with a 160% increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands in 2024 compared to the previous year.
- Over 6,000 surviving migrants have disembarked in Mauritania since June 2024, with at least 190 reported dead or missing in similar incidents.
Contradictionsđź‘ľThere are slight discrepancies in the reported number of deaths, with Mauritanian authorities citing 25, while some initial IOM reports mentioned 15.
The exact number of people on board also varies slightly between reports, ranging from 140-180 to around 300.
