Mauritania intercepts a migrant boat with 161 aboard, including 17 children
Mauritania coast guard said the migrants were in distress from low supplies and a worn-out engine, and 17 children were aboard.
- On Thursday, Mauritania's coast guard intercepted a boat carrying 161 migrants off the coast near Amhijrat, rescuing passengers attempting to reach Europe after the vessel drifted at sea.
- Departing from Banjul, Gambia, eight days ago, the vessel carried 17 children from Senegal, Guinea, and Gambia bound for Spain's Canary Islands. The boat's engine failed, leaving passengers stranded.
- Passengers were in distress due to lack of food and water when discovered, an immigration official told The Associated Press. Authorities plan to transfer the 161 individuals to a migrant reception center in Nouakchott.
- The West Africa-Atlantic route toward the Canary Islands is "one of the world's deadliest," with long distances and overcrowded vessels. The International Organization for Migration reported at least 1,200 migrants died along this path in 2025.
- Seeking economic opportunities in Europe, individuals from Saharan Africa increasingly use Mauritania's waters as a transit route. The United Nations reported nearly 150 people died or went missing last month from boats off Mauritania.
20 Articles
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Associated Press News
Mauritania intercepts a migrant boat with 161 aboard, including 17 children
Mauritania says it intercepted a boat carrying 161 migrants trying to reach Europe. The coast guard rescued them near the fishing village of Amhijrat.
Mauritania Rescues Over 160 On Migrant Boat From Gambia Adrift In The Ocean For A Week – The Standard Newspaper
The Mauritanian authorities have reported the rescue of more than 160 migrants, among them more than 15 minors, who had left The Gambia and spent more than a week sailing across the Atlantic on a route that usually has the Canary Islands as its final destination. In a statement released on social media, the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure of Mauritania detailed that the Coast Guard “detected and rescued” the 161 occupa…
Mauritanian Coast Guard has located and rescued 161 people, including 17 minors, after more than a week drifting into the Atlantic
More than 160 migrants, including 17 children, were rescued in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Mauritania in West Africa. AFP has quoted the country's coast guard as saying that the people were abandoned after eight days at sea on a precarious boat with a faulty engine. The people set sail from Banjul, the capital of Gambia, and were due to sail to the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain. Hundreds of people have been rescued in Mauritanian…
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