Beyza Binnur Donmez
22 July 2026•Update: 22 July 2026
At least 143 migrants are feared dead after a boat carrying around 180 people from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday, calling it the deadliest shipwreck the route has ever seen.
The agency said 38 survivors were rescued by the Mauritanian Coast Guard near Nouadhibou last Saturday after the vessel spent 25 days at sea. One body was recovered, while survivors reported that at least 143 people remain missing and are feared dead.
The survivors include men, women, and children from several West African countries. Among them are two children who reportedly lost their parents and a younger sibling during the journey.
"Every life lost on this route is one life too many. My thoughts are with the families who are mourning loved ones, and with the survivors who have endured an unimaginable ordeal," said Sylvia Ekra, the IOM regional director for West and Central Africa.
The agency said the tragedy brings the number of reported deaths on the West African Atlantic route to the Canary Islands this year to 168, excluding two suspected shipwrecks still under verification that may have claimed hundreds more lives.
"What this incident shows is that a decline in arrivals does not mean the route has become safer," Ekra said, calling for stronger regional cooperation and expanded access to safe and regular migration pathways.
