At least 144 migrants and refugees have been reported dead or missing off the coast of Mauritania after attempting the dangerous sea journey to Europe, Reuters reported citing the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday.The deaths were linked to three rescue operations carried out off Mauritania’s coast between July 14 and July 18. UNHCR said 387 people survived the rescues, while one of the incidents turned into one of the deadliest recorded on the route this year. According to the agency, a boat that departed from Bufaloto in Gambia was rescued on July 18 after drifting at sea for 25 days. Of those on board, 143 people had died by the time the vessel reached Mauritania. Rescue teams recovered the bodies and assisted 38 survivors when the boat arrived in Nouadhibou, where UNHCR provided humanitarian support.“Among the survivors of all that ship were two children who have lost all their family members during the journey and they are recovering in hospital,” UNHCR spokesperson Matt Saltmarsh told a UN briefing in Geneva.UNHCR also reported that another migrant was declared dead on arrival after a separate vessel reached Mauritania on July 14. The agency said Mauritania has recorded 17 migrant disembarkations so far in 2026 at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, with a total of 2,147 people rescued. While crossings to Europe have fallen sharply this year, the risks remain severe. UN figures show just over 40,000 migrants and refugees have reached Europe by sea in 2026, compared with 65,407 during the same period last year. However, UNHCR warned that the number of people dying or disappearing on these routes remains at “alarming levels.”
