The boat, which was carrying more than 180 African migrants on board, capsized due to high waves and strong winds. With so many missing, there are fears that the death toll will rise.
Mauritanian authorities have recovered 87 bodies of migrants and rescued another 36 alive off the country’s Atlantic coast, highlighting the number of missing people in dozens.
The boat they were travelling in capsized due to the strong winds that were hitting the area.
The ship is believed to have been carrying more than 180 African immigrantsmainly from the Senegal and of Gambia, according to a security source in the Rosso region, bordering Senegal.
Given this number of missing persons, it is feared that the number of increase in deaths in the next few hours.
The ship sank against winds and wavesopposite the town of Ndiago, in the south-west of Mauritania.
The European Union promised the African state 210 million euros in financial aid at the beginning of the year to curb migration and provide humanitarian aid to migrants.
The agreement comes amid an increase in the number of immigrants arriving in the Canary Islands.
Source: Observadora
