89 people died after the migrant boat sank in the Atlantic Ocean

International Desk: Coastguards have recovered the bodies of 89 migrants from a boat that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in Mauritania. Nine people, including a five-year-old girl, have been rescued, but dozens more remain missing.

Survivors say the fishing boat left the Senegalese-Gambian border area last week with 170 passengers on board. It crashed off the southwest coast of Mauritania. Mauritania is a key transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa.

Thousands of boats left that country last year. The most common destination on the dangerous route is Spain's Canary Islands. About 40,000 people arrived there last year, the Spanish government said.

This number is double compared to the previous year. Migrants desperate to reach Europe often travel on overloaded boats. More than 5,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024, estimates the charity Ca-Minando Fonterras.

In April, the EU gave Mauritania 210 million euros in aid, about 60 million of which will be invested in the fight against undocumented migration to Europe.