Mauritania: 69 dead along migrant route after tragic boat capsizing

69 people are confirmed dead after a migrant vessel capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Mauritania, according to Africanews, August 29.

The Mauritanian coast guard discovered 49 bodies that had washed ashore, before later revising the number of deaths to 69 the same day.

Meanwhile, several dozen more people are reported missing.

Coast guards continue search and rescue operations, but with more than 74 people estimated to be missing from the capsizing, chances of successfully rescuing any survivors are rapidly diminishing.

The small wooden pirogue set sail from The Gambia last week, travelling along a common migrant route following the West African coastline north en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.

With around 160 people on board, the vessel was severely overcrowded and unfit for seafaring.

The tragic incident transpired when a large volume of people rushed toward one side of the vessel, seeking rescue as word spread that land had been spotted. According to Mohamed Abdallah, an official representing the Coast Guard, passengers would have been able to see the lights of Lemhaijratt, a small town on the coast.

The accident occurred just 80km from the capital Nouakchott.

So far, only 17 people have been rescued.

Loss of life is a common theme in the migrant crisis, and the human cost is unquantifiable. More than 10,000 people died attempting to reach Spain in 2024 according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras. The Canary Islands, the intended destination of these passengers, received a record 46,843 migrants last year.

However, figures show that 2025 has seen a marked decrease in these arrivals of 34.4% against the same period in 2024.

Despite this, the journey remains just as deadly.

Migrant routes along the West African coast continue to report tragedies just like this latest capsizing. They serve as a reminder that each journey could end in disaster, and all too often, they do. Their loss will tear apart their families’ lives when they receive the news, if they are lucky enough to receive any news at all.

Many who go missing along Africa’s migrant routes are never found, and their families are never contacted to inform them.

In this far too common tragedy, the loss of life comes amid the pursuit of a better future.

Africanews via The Associated Press and AFP, Maghrebi.org