A boat carrying at least 150 African migrants from The Gambia to the Canary Islands capsized off the coast of Mauritania, killing at least 58 people.
The United Nations says it’s one of the deadliest disasters this year involving desperate migrants trying to make the dangerous trip to Europe. 83 people who plunged into the Atlantic Ocean were able to swim to safety and are being treated at a hospital in Mauritania. Authorities are still looking for an unknown number of missing people.
The boat left a week ago and was attempting a stop on Mauritania to refuel. Tens of thousands of migrants from The Gambia have attempted to sail to Europe in recent years, and as many as 35,000 have made it. (CBS News)
Hot Takes:
- The migrants know the risk, but they’re so desperate to leave their countries.
- Most of the people on the boat were in their 20s and 30s. There were also many children.
- The mass exodus of Gambians is blamed on the country’s struggling economy.