The Mauritanian coast guard announced today that it rescued some 260 migrants from West Africa, including 17 children, who were in danger off the coast of the country.
© GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images
27/09/2026
by
Lusa
Apeople, who traveled on two ships from Banjul, in the Gambia, were in a state of shock after being without food and faced fuel and navigation problems, revealed the coast guard, in a statement.
The survivors were located today off Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, after spending about a week at sea, according to the same source.
Among the rescued persons are 132 Senegalese, 120 Gambians, four Guineans and some other citizens of West Africa, according to the coast guard.
In addition to the 17 children, there were 61 women on board the boats.
Thousands of people — mostly young people — are attempting the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic in overcrowded and often precarious vessels to reach Europe through the Canary Islands (Spain).
Many flee poverty and travel illegally, as European countries have considerably restricted the issuance of visas and strengthened border control.
Data from the International Organization for Migration released last month indicated that 2026 is recording a peak of deaths of migrants worldwide, with the number of fatalities in the Mediterranean rising 111% to 821.
In July, nearly 150 people died off Mauritania as they tried to cross over to Europe. Among the 38 survivors were two children who lost all their families, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.