At least 58 migrants are confirmed dead after a vessel carrying them sank as it approached the coast of Mauritania on Thursday, according to the UN's migration agency.
Eighty-three others swam to shore and are receiving assistance from Mauritanian authorities, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the IOM said in a statement.
The survivors said that the vessel was running low on fuel when it approached the northwest African nation.
They also said that at least 150 people including women and children were aboard the vessel which left The Gambia on November 27.
"The Mauritanian authorities are very efficiently coordinating the response with the agencies currently present in Nouadhibou," said Laura Lungarotti, IOM Chief of Mission in Mauritania.
"Our common priority is to take care of all those who survived and bring them the support they need," she added.
The injured have been transferred to a city hospital and the IOM has deployed a medical doctor to support the local response.
"The Mauritanian authorities are coordinating with the Gambian consular services to ensure that the necessary support is provided to the migrants," IOM further said.
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