At least 70 people were killed when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of West Africa, Gambia’s foreign affairs ministry said late on Friday, in one of the deadliest accidents in recent years along a popular migration route to Europe. Another 30 people are feared dead after the vessel, believed to have departed from Gambia and carrying mostly Gambian and Senegalese nationals, sank off the coast of Mauritania early on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement. It was carrying an estimated 150 passengers, 16 of whom had been rescued.

Survivors saved off Mauritania say they left The Gambia with 160 people on board.

L’embarcation a chaviré dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi au nord de la capitale, Nouakchott, avec 160 personnes à bord, selon la gendarmerie et les garde-côtes mauritaniens. La…