At least 144 people are believed to be dead or missing after several migrant boats ran into trouble off the coast of Mauritania during rescue operations carried out in several operations between July 14 and 18.
Most of the victims were on a boat that had left The Gambia and spent 25 days stranded at sea. Only 38 people survived, including two children who reportedly lost their entire families.
Overall, 387 people were rescued in the three operations.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that deaths and disappearances on sea routes to Europe remain alarmingly high, and is calling for better access to education and jobs to reduce dangerous crossings.
