At least 144 migrants have died or remain missing following a series of maritime disasters off Mauritania, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Many of those aboard, including refugees, had been stranded at sea for 25 days after leaving The Gambia on a journey toward Spain’s Canary Islands.
The rescue operation concluded on 18 July, when teams located 38 survivors and recorded 143 people as dead or missing. Two children rescued that day had lost their entire families at sea. UNHCR said the disaster underscored the urgent need to provide safer, legal routes for migration.
The agency called on countries to offer “meaningful and quicker access to legal pathways through higher resettlement quotas, increased labour opportunities and education pathways as alternatives to the dangerous sea crossings.”
