At least 15 people have lost their lives after a boat carrying African migrants capsized off the coast of Mauritania, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement
According to Report, which cites the statement, approximately 300 individuals boarded the boat on the Gambian coast and spent a harrowing seven days in the Atlantic Ocean before the vessel overturned near Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, on July 22, 2024. The Mauritanian Coast Guard managed to rescue 120 people, while the search for the missing continues.
"The confirmed death toll stands at 15. Ten of the survivors have been rushed to hospitals for urgent medical attention," the IOM reported.
This devastating incident occurs amidst a growing trend of migration along the West Atlantic route, where countless migrants undertake perilous journeys in search of better opportunities or to escape challenging circumstances in their countries of origin.