The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Deadly West Atlantic shipwreck highlights victims’ desperation, says UN refugee agency
News of another deadly shipwreck tragedy off the coast of Mauritania is a clear indication of the desperation people on the move continue to face as they attempt to escape strife, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
The UN agency’s comments follow reports on Monday that dozens of people are missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people capsized in the waters off the coast of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.
Recent months have continued to see a surge in the number of people setting out from north and west African countries including Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco. Their final destination is often the Canary Islands.
“UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has resulted in the deaths and disappearances of numerous people off the coast of Mauritania,” said spokesperson Shabia Mantoo. “The vessel, which was following the West Atlantic route, capsized near Nouakchott, claiming the lives of at least 15 people with many others still missing.”
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, approximately 300 people including women and children boarded a wooden “pirogue” boat in The Gambia, spending seven days at sea before the tragedy happened. Ms. Mantoo noted that this was the second deadly shipwreck in the region reported this month, after one at the start of July.
The so-called “West Atlantic route” off the coast of west Africa “is one of the deadliest routes in the world, with thousands of migrants and refugees drowning in recent years”, the UNHCR official told journalists in Geneva.
Since June last year, more than 76 boats with approximately 6,130 survivors have disembarked in Mauritania, while around 190 perished at sea before the two latest tragedies.
The UN agency reiterated its calls to the international community to support legal solutions for people in danger or in dire situations so that they can move across countries and continents without risking their lives, as is increasingly the case.
“We do see a phenomena of these movements being taken by people who are extremely vulnerable, they're desperate, their desperation and vulnerability sometimes exploited by smugglers, by traffickers, by others,” Ms. Mantoo said. “So, there are a variety of modalities that are resorted to, but really it speaks to the desperation in people resorting to these journeys because there are simply what they perceive to be no safer pathways.”
She added: “We are calling for action to address this as there have been many tragedies in this region and in others at sea and also on land. But there should be accountability indeed, for anyone that that profits off the desperation of others.”
According to the UN migration agency, from 1 January to 15 July 2024 alone, more than 19,700 migrants arrived irregularly in the Canary Islands using this route compared to the same period in 2023, when 7,590 migrants were recorded - an increase of 160 per cent.
IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 4,500 deaths and disappearances on this route since 2014, including over 950 deaths last year, the second deadliest on record.
-
STORY: West Atlantic shipwreck – UNHCR
TRT: min 19s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 JULY 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST- Exterior medium: UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide: Press room, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has resulted in the deaths and disappearances of numerous people off the coast of Mauritania. The vessel, which was following the West Atlantic route, capsized near Nouakchott, claiming the lives of at least 15 people with many others are still missing.”
- Medium: Press room, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “This is the second deadly shipwreck in the region that has been reported this month, with another that was recorded at the start of July.”
- Medium-wide: Press room monitors.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “The West Atlantic route is one of the deadliest routes in the world, with thousands of migrants and refugees drowning in recent years. Since June last year, more than 76 boats with approximately 6,130 survivors have disembarked in Mauritania, while around 190 have perished at sea before these two latest tragedies.”
- Medium-wide, Press room speakers, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “We do see a phenomena of these movements being taken by people who are extremely vulnerable, they're desperate, their desperation and vulnerability sometimes exploited by smugglers, by traffickers, by others. So, there are a variety of modalities that are resorted to, but really it speaks to the desperation in people resorting to these journeys because there are simply what they perceive to be no safer pathways.”
- Medium-wide: Press room podium.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “We are calling for action to address this as there have been many tragedies in this region and in others at sea and also on land. But there should be accountability indeed, for anyone that that profits off the desperation of others.”
- Medium, participant.
- Medium, participants.
- Medium, technician behind glass showing UNHCR speaker’s reflection.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNESCO
UNESCO protects cultural sites in war-torn Middle East, confirming damage to key heritage.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.