140 People Missing After Boat Incidents Near Mauritania

The refugees and migrants had attempted the dangerous crossing from West Africa to Europe, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced today. The route to the Canary Islands “remains one of the deadliest in the world” due to long distances, conditions at sea, unseaworthy and overcrowded boats, and little chance of a quick rescue.

In recent days, authorities in Mauritania reported that a boat that had set sail from The Gambia with about 160 people on board had gotten into distress at sea. After more than three weeks at sea, the boat ran out of fuel. After just ten days, the people had already run out of food and water, forcing them to drink seawater. Thirty-seven people were rescued; another 120 are missing, according to Mauritania’s Ministry of Fisheries.

According to Mauritanian sources, a boat carrying about 180 people had also set out from neighboring Senegal; all of them were rescued during a coast guard operation. The UNHCR reported that more than 380 people had been brought safely ashore following a total of three incidents over the course of about a week.

According to UN figures, 4,400 people have arrived in the Canary Islands via irregular crossings so far this year—a decrease of about 60 percent compared to the previous year. After record numbers in 2024, the figure had already dropped last year. The reasons cited include stricter controls and agreements between the EU and Spain, on the one hand, and North and West African countries, on the other.