Mauritania Coast Guard Rescues Migrants, Searches for Missing

Mauritania's coast guard has rescued 37 irregular migrants and recovered one body from a severely distressed boat attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands. The vessel, which departed from Banjul, Gambia, with approximately 160 individuals on board, had been adrift for about 25 days.

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The patrol boat managed to find a boat carrying irregular migrants, which was in a very dangerous situation and on the verge of imminent sinking.

The rescue operation, conducted by the coast guard vessel "Yaacoub Ould Ragel," located the boat in a critical state, on the verge of sinking. While 37 people were saved, the body of one deceased migrant was recovered. A search continues for the remaining 122 migrants who were on the boat.

The survivors, identified as 22 Senegalese, seven Gambians, and eight from Guinea Conakry, endured extreme hardship. They reported that their boat suffered a mechanical failure and ran out of fuel shortly after leaving Gambia. Drifting into international waters and then Mauritanian territorial waters, they faced dwindling supplies. After about 10 days adrift, their water and food reserves were depleted, forcing them to drink seawater.

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The survivors are 22 Senegalese, seven Gambians, and eight from Guinea Conakry, including one woman, and their boat had spent about 25 days at sea.

The rescued migrants were transported to Nouadhibou, Mauritania's economic capital. Seven individuals, including two women and two minors, received immediate medical attention at a local hospital. The incident highlights the ongoing dangers faced by migrants attempting the perilous sea crossing to Europe.

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After about 10 days of drifting, water and food supplies were completely depleted, forcing those concerned to drink seawater, and they experienced extremely harsh humanitarian conditions.