At least 144 refugees and migrants are dead or missing after a boat that left the Gambia bound for Spain's Canary Islands drifted at sea for 25 days before finally being rescued off the coast of Mauritania, the UN refugee agency UNHCR announced on Tuesday. Of the 160 people who originally boarded the vessel in Bafuloto, a town in the Gambia, only 38 survived. Among them were two children who had lost all of their family members during the journey and were recovering in hospital, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva.

The boat was rescued on 18 July and brought into Nouadhibou, a port city in northwestern Mauritania and a major hub on the Atlantic migration route. Mauritania's coastguard put the number of missing at 122 and said the vessel had run out of fuel. The tragedy was the deadliest among three rescue and disembarkation operations conducted off Mauritania between 14 and 18 July, which together brought 387 people safely ashore. A separate death was recorded on another vessel rescued on 14 July.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands — a Spanish archipelago situated roughly 905 nautical miles (1,677 kilometres) from the Mauritanian coast — is described by UNHCR as one of the world's deadliest migration corridors. The vast distances involved, unpredictable ocean conditions, and the use of overcrowded, unseaworthy boats all increase the risk of disaster. So far in 2026, UNHCR has recorded 17 disembarkation operations in Mauritania, with 2,147 individuals brought to safety.

Arrival numbers to the Canary Islands have fallen sharply — by around 61 percent compared to the same period last year — partly as a result of EU-funded enforcement measures that have seen Mauritanian authorities deport thousands of asylum seekers and migrants. However, rights groups and UN officials warn that these crackdowns have pushed departure points further down the coast, resulting in longer and deadlier journeys rather than fewer attempts. Some 4,400 people had still reached the Canary Islands as of 15 July.

UNCHR stressed that deaths and disappearances at sea continue at "alarming levels", with many incidents occurring far from public view. The agency called on governments to address the root causes driving people to attempt such crossings and to expand access to legal migration pathways, education, and employment as meaningful alternatives to the perilous sea journey.