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Coastguards in Mauritania have recovered 89 bodies of migrants from a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. Nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued, but dozens more are missing. Survivors report that the vessel, a traditional fishing boat, set sail last week from the Senegalese-Gambian border area with 170 people on board. It capsized off Mauritania's south-western coast.

Mauritania is a key transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats departing from the country last year.

The most common destination on this perilous route is Spain's Canary Islands. According to the Spanish government, nearly 40,000 people arrived there last year, doubling the number from the previous year.

Desperate to reach Europe, migrants often travel in overloaded boats. More than 5,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024, according to estimates by the Caminando Fronteras charity.

In April, the EU granted Mauritania €210m (£177m; $225m) in aid, with almost €60m allocated to combat undocumented migration to Europe.