At least 15 killed, dozens missing after boat capsizes off Mauritania
Al Jazeera
The boat carrying 300 people had left The Gambia and capsized near Nouakchott, according to UN migration agency.
At least 15 people have died and more than 150 are missing after a boat carrying 300 passengers capsized near Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
“Approximately 300 people boarded a pirogue in The Gambia and spent seven days at sea before the boat capsized near Nouakchott on July 22, 2024,” the IOM said in a statement on Wednesday.
The United Nations migration agency said 120 people had been rescued by the Mauritanian Coast Guard, while efforts continued to locate the missing individuals.
“Among the survivors, 10 people were urgently referred to hospitals for medical care, and four unaccompanied and separated children were identified,” the IOM said.
Ibba Sarr, a fishmonger at a waterside fish market in Nouakchott, said that strong winds in the past two days had moved the bodies closer to the shore and he saw around 30 bodies being collected from the beach.
