The Mauritanian coast guard recovered 89 migrant bodies from a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.
Nine people – including a five-year-old girl – were rescued, but dozens of others are missing.
Survivors say the ship – a traditional fishing boat – left the border area between Senegal and Gambia last week with 170 people on board. She capsized off the southwest coast of Mauritania.
Mauritania is a key transit point 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.
The Spanish government says around 40,000 people arrived there last year – double the number from the previous year.
Desperate to reach Europe, migrants often travel in overloaded boats.
More than 5,000 migrants have died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of 2024, estimates the charity Ca-minando Fronteras.
In April, the EU gave Mauritania €210 million (£177 million; $225 million) in aid – of which almost €60 million will be invested in the fight against illegal migration to Europe.
