Overview

• The Mauritanian coast guard says 69 bodies have been recovered and search operations continue for the missing after a boat capsized off M'haijatt.
• The vessel was carrying about 160 people when it overturned on August 27 roughly 60 kilometers north of Nouakchott, according to officials.
• Authorities report 17 survivors were rescued, and survivors said the boat had been at sea for six days before it sank.
• Caminando Fronteras said many aboard were from Gambia and Senegal, highlighting the West African origins of those taking the Atlantic route to the Canaries.
• The incident comes as HRW details alleged abuses by Mauritanian forces linked to EU and Spanish cooperation, which the European Commission says it will review.