Mauritania’s coastguards retrieved 89 migrants’ remains from a capsized boat in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. 

Nine individuals were rescued, including a five-year-old kid, but many more remain missing.

According to survivors, the traditional fishing boat set sail last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border area, carrying 170 people.

It capsized off Mauritania’s south-western coast. Mauritania is a major transit hub for migrants seeking to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats leaving the nation each year.

The most popular destination on the treacherous voyage is Spain’s Canary Islands.

According to the Spanish government, approximately 40,000 people arrived last year, more than doubling the previous year’s total.

Desperate to reach Europe, migrants frequently travel in overcrowded boats.

More than 5,000 migrants died while attempting to enter Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.

In April, the EU allocated Mauritania €210 million (£177 million; $225 million) in aid, about €60 million of which will be committed to combating unauthorised migration to Europe.