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“The boat left Gambia a week ago and had 160 people on board, including Senegalese and Gambian nationals,� Mohamed Abdallah, the head of the coast guard, told The Associated Press.

“When the migrants saw the lights of the Mheijrat, they tried to move to one part of the boat, causing it to capsize,� Abdallah said.

The official said 49 bodies have washed ashore and just 17 people have been rescued so far. The others remain missing, the official said.

In recent years, Mauritania’s waters have become a highway for migrants across sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe, primarily the Canary Islands. In July 2024, a similar incident than a dozen migrants on their way to Europe off Mauritania, with 150 others declared missing.

The country’s authorities have tightened control and expulsion measures for migrants. Last year, it signed a 210 million-euro deal ($225 million)with the European Union in a deal aimed at deterring migrants from using the country to get to the European Union.

Mauritania has also been accused of abuse towards migrants who are transiting through the country in a nationwide coastal crackdown, according to human rights groups.

An increasing number of West African migrants have been trying to reach Europe via the perilous Atlantic coast route in search of a better life as economic opportunities dwindle across the region.

In September last year, at least were found on a boat off the coast of the Senegalese capital.

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Adetayo contributed to the report from Lagos