49 Dead, Nearly 100 Missing As Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Mauritania; Coast Guard Confirms Atlantic Route Tragedy

A migrant boat that left Gambia capsized off Mheijrat, Mauritania, resulting in at least 49 confirmed deaths and nearly 100 people missing. Authorities said roughly 160 people were aboard, mostly Senegalese and Gambian nationals; 17 survivors have been rescued and 49 bodies recovered. Officials said passengers panicked and shifted toward lights on shore, causing the vessel to overturn. Mauritania has become a key transit route toward Spain’s Canary Islands amid tighter controls and an EU deal with Nouakchott, which rights groups say has fueled abuses.