At least 89 bodies have been recovered off the coast of Mauritania after a migrant boat capsized this week, according to the West African country’s state news agency and the head of a local fishing association. This grim discovery underscores the perilous nature of the Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, a path frequently taken by African migrants seeking a better life in Spain.
Summer is the busiest time for this deadly route, and this tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers involved. The Mauritanian coast guard has been working tirelessly, recovering the bodies of 89 migrants who were aboard a boat that was carrying 170 people. As usual, the authorities were conveniently unavailable for comment.
Adding to the heartbreak, nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued from the wreck. However, the president of the fishing association in Ndiago, Yali Fall, reported that the death toll has climbed to 105. Locals have been burying bodies retrieved from the coast since Monday, a task no community should have to endure. “For three days, we buried the dead whose bodies were found,” Fall said, painting a haunting picture of the ongoing crisis.
Migration rights group Walking Borders reported in June that nearly 5,000 migrants died at sea in the first five months of 2024, trying to reach the Canary Islands. This figure is unprecedented and highlights the extreme risks these desperate individuals are willing to take. Meanwhile, arrivals to the Canary Islands have soared, with over 16,500 migrants arriving in the first five months of this year, a fivefold increase from the same period last year, according to the Spanish interior ministry.
This tragic incident and the alarming statistics from Walking Borders serve as a grim reminder of the ongoing migrant crisis. It’s time for the world to wake up and address the root causes driving people to risk their lives on these deadly journeys.
