The Mauritanian Coast Guard has rescued 315 migrants—including 40 children and infants—from a wooden boat found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean near the port city of Nouadhibou. According to news agency AFP, the individuals aboard were stranded in dire humanitarian conditions.
Migrants from various African countries frequently undertake this hazardous sea route in an attempt to reach Europe. Just days prior to this incident, the Mauritanian Coast Guard intercepted and rescued another 42 migrants in the same area. Overcrowding on unseaworthy vessels along this stretch of the Atlantic Ocean leads to numerous drownings and disappearances every year.
