The Mauritanian coast guard rescued approximately 260 migrants, including 17 children

The Mauritanian coast guard rescued approximately 260 West African migrants on Sunday, including 17 children and 61 women, who were in distress off the coast of Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital. The people were aboard two boats that had departed from Banjul, Gambia, and were found after spending approximately a week at sea.

The migrants had run out of food and encountered problems with fuel and navigation, and were described by authorities as being in a state of shock. The survivors include 132 Senegalese, 120 Gambians, four Guineans and other citizens from West Africa.

The rescue comes amid an increase in clandestine crossings of the Atlantic toward the Canary Islands, Spanish territory. For years, thousands of people, particularly young people, have departed from West African countries aboard overcrowded and often unseaworthy boats. Many are fleeing poverty, as obtaining visas for Europe has become more difficult and border controls have been tightened.