45 African migrants drown
06/03/2006 22:05  - (SA)  

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Madrid - At least 45 African migrants have drowned in two separate boat accidents off the coast of Mauritania, Spanish radio reported on Monday.

At least 23 people died overnight when their boat sank north of Mauritania near the western Sahara border. Twenty of the passengers were rescued by the Moroccan coastguard.

The cause of the accident remains unclear, but the boat was reported to have been overcrowded.

The bodies of the 23 victims have washed up on land, but aid organisation Doctors of the World has said the final death toll could be much higher.

Another 22 people died in a second boat accident while 24 passengers were taken to safety by a passing Mauritanian ship.

It is believed both boats were en route to Spain's Canary Islands, a hotspot for illegal African immigrants attempting to enter EU states.

In the past weekend alone, several boatloads carrying over 200 migrants have arrived at the various islands.

The location of the accidents suggest that human traffickers are taking a more southerly route to Spain via Mauritania in an effort to evade tight border controls in Morocco. - Sapa-dpa

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