An official at the International Organization for Migration revealed that at least 47 people died while trying to reach European territory on a boat that ended up off Mauritania, with seven migrants rescued alive.
Nicolas Hochart, of the International Organization for Migration, said in a telephone interview with AFP that the ship left “in all probability” from the Laayoune region, in Western Sahara, on August 3, bound for the Canary Islands, Spain, but left with an engine failure and drifted towards Two weeks before the Mauritanian coast guard spotted him on Monday off Nouadhibou.
Initially, there were 54 people on board, including two children under the age of three and a missing teenager, according to Hoechart, based on testimonies of rescued people, which were collected by the International Organization for Migration. He added, without further details, that the group was made up of people from West Africa.
“The trip, if all goes well, takes a few days at most (…). He stressed that from the moment the engine has problems, they have no reserves of water and food.
This itinerary, from the west coast of Africa to the Canary Islands, the gateway to Europe across the Atlantic, is one of the distinctive routes used every year by thousands of African migrants, using fragile ships.
The road is very dangerous. At least 300 people have died or been reported missing since early 2021 on this “Atlantic Route,” Hoechart said.
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