“TRY or die “— the words that drive thousands across the Atlantic — turned fatal this week when a migrant boat bound for Spain’s Canary Islands capsized off Mauritania, killing at least 69 people.

Seventeen survivors have been rescued, while dozens remain missing as coastguard teams continue search operations roughly 60km north of the capital, Nouakchott. Authorities said divers are preparing to inspect the sunken vessel.

The wooden canoe had departed The Gambia six days before the disaster, carrying around 160 people, mainly Gambian and Senegalese nationals, according to survivors.

According to a BBC report, a senior coastguard official told AFP that the tragedy unfolded when passengers saw the lights of a nearby town and “moved to one side, causing it to capsize.”

The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands has become both a lifeline and a deadly risk for migrants attempting to reach Europe. Nearly 47,000 arrivals were recorded in the Canary Islands last year.

Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish rights group, estimates that more than 9,000 people died trying to make the crossing in 2023.

Helen Maleno, a spokesperson for the organisation, described the Mauritania incident as among the most severe “tragedies of this summer” and urged the coastguard to continue searching for survivors.

The mass drowning comes days after Human Rights Watch accused Mauritanian security forces of systematic abuses against migrants from other African nations. The organisation said these violations have been worsened by a cooperation deal with the European Union and Spain, aimed at curbing irregular sea journeys to the Canary Islands.(MyTVCebu)

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