The coast guard in Mauritania on Monday recovered the bodies of 89 migrants from a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean.
Nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued, but dozens of others are still missing.
Survivors say the vessel, a traditional fishing boat, left the Senegal-Gambia border area last week with 170 people on board before capsizing off the southwest coast of Mauritania.
Mauritania is a major transit country for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats leaving the country last year.
The most common destination on this dangerous route is the Canary Islands in Spain.
According to the Spanish government, nearly 40,000 people arrived last year, double the number from the previous year.
Migrants desperate to reach Europe often travel in overcrowded boats.
According to estimates by the charity Ca-minando Fronteras, more than 5,000 migrants have died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024.
In April, the EU allocated €210 million (£177 million; $225 million) in aid to Mauritania, of which almost €60 million will be invested in the fight against undocumented migration to Europe.
