At Least 70 Dead After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off West Africa

At least 70 people have died after a migrant vessel capsized off the coast of Mauritania, Gambia’s foreign ministry said Friday, marking one of the deadliest disasters in recent years along the perilous Atlantic migration route to Europe.

The wooden boat, believed to have departed from Gambia and carrying about 150 passengers, mostly Gambians and Senegalese, sank early Wednesday. Mauritanian authorities have recovered 70 bodies, while around 30 others remain missing and feared dead.

Only 16 survivors have been rescued, according to the statement. Witness accounts suggest the death toll could exceed 100.

The Atlantic migration route—from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands—is among the world’s most dangerous. Last year, over 46,000 migrants reached the Canary Islands, a record high, while more than 10,000 perished attempting the journey, a 58% rise from 2023, according to rights group Caminando Fronteras.

Gambia’s foreign ministry urged its citizens to avoid such perilous crossings, warning that they “continue to claim the lives of many.”