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15 people have died and more than 150 are missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania in northwest Africa.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there were 300 migrants on board the boat. 120 people have been rescued by the Mauritanian coast guard.
“Tragically, 15 people were confirmed dead on arrival,” the organization writes in a statement.
The accident happened on Monday. Among those rescued so far are four children who were separated from their parents.
Almost 20,000 migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands via the Mauritania route this year, which is almost triple the number of the same period last year, according to the IOM. At least 1,950 migrants died on the road last year, which the organization claims was the second deadliest year on record.