SerpApi.Org
July 21 (UPI) -- The U.N. refugee agency announced Tuesday that 144 refugees and migrants have died or were missing after "tragic maritime incidents" off the coast of Mauritania last week.
Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, that those lost were attempting the sea journey from West Africa to Europe.
Three rescue operations between July 14 and 18 brought 387 people safely ashore in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, Saltmarsh said. The survivors were from multiple countries.
One of the boats rescued on July 18 had 38 survivors, with 143 dead or missing. The passengers spent nearly 25 days stranded on the ocean after leaving The Gambia and trying to make it to Spain. Among the survivors were two children who lost all their family members at sea.
"This is a stark reminder that, despite sustained efforts by coastal authorities and humanitarian partners to save lives, the Atlantic route from West Africa toward the Canary Islands remains one of the world's deadliest mixed movement corridors due to long distances, unpredictable ocean conditions, unseaworthy overcrowded boats and limited access to timely rescue," Saltmarsh said.
He said the number of refugees and migrants arriving in the Spanish archipelago has dropped -- by 61% compared to 2025 -- and from over 40,000 so far this year to Europe as opposed to more than 65,000 in the first half of 2025.
However, he said, "UNHCR and partners have repeatedly warned that deaths and disappearances at sea continue at alarming levels, with many incidents occurring far from public attention and often resulting in entire boats vanishing."
