Mauritania authorities told Spanish news agency EFE that at least 70 bodies had been recovered along with 17 survivors.
Spanish NGO Walking Borders reported that around 160 people are believed to be traveling the ship.
“This is one of the biggest tragedies of the summer,” Helena Mareno, head of the Walking Borders, told Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser.
According to Ephe, the ship departed from Gambia, but the wreck occurred on Thursday about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Mauritania’s capital Noakchot.
The Canary Islands’ travel routes, including crossing the Atlantic from northwest Africa to the Spanish Archipelago, are considered one of the deadliest in the world.
Official figures show that nearly 47,000 people arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024, while Walking Border estimated that over 9,750 people died.
MNA/