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NOUAKCHOTT — One hundred and 10 west African migrants, including 12 women and three children, were rescued off Mauritania on Tuesday after their boat's engine broke down, the Mauritanian coastguard said.
After setting sail from the Gambian capital Banjul in hopes of reaching Europe, the rickety ship "suffered a breakdown on the high seas" off the coast of the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, the coastguard said in a statement.
"The rescue operation took place about eight nautical miles (15 kilometres) from the shore in difficult weather conditions," the statement said.
Eighty Malians, 12 Senegalese, 10 Gambians, four Mauritanians, three Ivorians and a Nigerian were among those rescued in the operation, which lasted from 1:00 am to 9:00 am (0100 to 0900 GMT) Tuesday.
For years, thousands of west Africans have sought to leave for Europe via the perilous Atlantic crossing, with mostly young would-be migrants packing into overcrowded and often dilapidated boats.
With European countries drastically restricting visas and tightening border controls, many Africans seeking a better life in Europe have turned to irregular and clandestine routes instead.
Thousands have died or disappeared while trying to reach Europe in recent years as a result.
