The Mauritanian coast guard has rescued 161 migrants, including 17 children, after their pirogue suffered an engine failure while attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands. The vessel, which departed from Banjul, Gambia, had been at sea for about eight days before being spotted by Mauritanian coast guard units on Tuesday, August 25. Those rescued included 99 Senegalese, 56 Guineans and six Gambians.
Authorities said all the migrants were found safe, although exhausted from the journey and affected by the precarious condition of the vessel. They were taken into care and transferred to a reception centre in Nouakchott after the necessary procedures were completed. The rescue comes amid an increase in irregular migration departures from Gambia towards the Canary Islands and a rise in migrant rescues along Mauritania’s Atlantic coast.
