Overview

• Mauritania’s coastguard said more than 70 people remain unaccounted for and 17 survivors were pulled from the water.
• Authorities reported the vessel departed the Gambian coast about a week earlier carrying roughly 160 people.
• The boat sank on Tuesday near a coastal village about 80 kilometers west of Nouakchott, according to officials.
• The coastguard said the vessel overturned when passengers shifted to one side after spotting lights from shore.
• Most of the dead are reported to be from Gambia and Senegal, and the EU concluded a migration partnership with Mauritania last year.