Unseaworthy Wooden Boat: More Than 300 Migrants Rescued Off Mauritania
Off the coast of Mauritania, the coast guard has rescued more than 300 people from an unseaworthy wooden boat. They were apparently heading for the Canary Islands — a route that is becoming increasingly dangerous.
The Mauritanian coast guard said it had rescued more than 300 migrants from a boat bound for Europe, including 40 children and teenagers.
At the time of their rescue, the people were in a "difficult humanitarian situation," the coast guard stated. They had been on board a wooden boat that was drifting helplessly at sea when it was rescued in the night leading into Thursday, as the news agency AFP learned from a coast guard official. According to the information, 315 people from the West African countries of Gambia and Senegal were on board.
New Border Controls — Longer Journeys at Sea
In recent months, there have been repeated serious accidents off the Mauritanian coast, in which people from West Africa attempted to reach the Spanish Canary Islands by boat. In July alone, 144 people died or went missing, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
A recent tightening of maritime border controls in Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco has led to a shift in departure points: instead of setting off from Mauritania, many of the boats now put to sea further south, particularly from the coasts of Gambia and Guinea. For those on board, this extends the time spent at sea and increases the dangers.
With reporting by Sarah Mersch, ARD Rabat
