A migrant boat from North Africa’s Atlantic Coast which was heading for the Canary Islands, was located by Mauritanian Coastguard after nearly two weeks drifting at sea, with only seven people alive on board.

Published 3 years ago

Source:  Spain in English

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said 47 people on board the boat died when the engine failed and the passengers were stranded without food or water.

Survivors were rescued by Mauritania Coastguard and taken to Mauritania’s northern city of Nouadhibou for medical treatment.  UNHCR and IOM said the deaths highlighted the urgent need for more support to prevent further tragedies at sea.

The migrant boat was on a route that is one taken by many cruisers to get to the Canaries for November to cross the Atlantic, so any boats heading that way should be extra vigilant.

The latest tragedy occurred on August 16, only 10 days after another 40 people lost their lives along the same route.  It adds to the increasing number of deaths as more vessels depart for the Canary Islands.  As of January 2021, more than 350 people have died while over 8000 refuges and migrants have reached Spain using this sea route.

See additional Noonsite reports below including what to do if you come across a migrant boat in distress.

To read the full news story, see below.

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Related News:

47 Dead, 7 Survivors on Migrant Dinghy Heading for the Canary Islands (Spain in English)

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Related Links:

• Migrants at Sea:  The Dos and Donts of Helping those in Distress (Yachting Monthly)
• Other Migrant reports on Noonsite
• UK:  Sharp Increase in Migrants crossing the English Channel
• UK to pay £55M to French Border Patrols to fund Migrant Clampdown (The Guardian)
• Migrants at Sea:  The Dos and Donts of Helping those in Distress (Yachting Monthly)
• English Channel: Record Number of Migrants Rescued from Small Rubber Boats (Noonsite – Feb 2020)

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.

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