NOUAKCHOTT: At least 15 migrants have died and dozens are missing after their boat capsized off Mauritania, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and local sources said on Wednesday, the latest in a string of migrant tragedies off the coast of West Africa.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of 15 migrants and the estimated disappearance at sea of 195+ people after a boat capsized in Nouakchott,” the IOM posted on X. A Mauritanian coastguard said that at least 25 bodies had been recovered while 103 people were rescued, while several others were missing following Monday’s disaster.

“Approximately 300 people boarded a pirogue in The Gambia and spent seven days at sea before the boat capsized near Nouakchott on July 22, 2024,” the IOM said in a statement.

The UN migration agency added that 120 people had been rescued by Mauritanian Coast Guards, while efforts continued to locate the missing individuals.

“Among the survivors, 10 people were urgently referred to hospitals for medical care, and four unaccompanied and separated children were identified,” the IOM said.

The source from the Mauritanian coastguard said the pirogue was carrying 140 to 180 people, mostly Senegalese and Gambian.

The boat had broken up in the middle of the sea and the captain abandoned the vessel, the source said.

Since June, more than 76 boats with more than 6,000 surviving migrants have disembarked in Mauritania, with at least 190 dead and missing migrants, the IOM statement said.

Every year, thousands of Africans fleeing poverty and unemployment in search of a better future embark on the perilous route to Europe. But the crossing is fraught with tragedy.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024