Dozens dead as migrant boat sinks off Mauritania coast: UN

At least 58 people, including children, were killed after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the West African nation of Mauritania, the UN's migration agency said.
The perilous sea passage from West Africa to Europe was once a major route for migrants seeking jobs and prosperity. The sinking is one of the deadliest incidents since the mid-2000s when Spain stepped up patrols and fewer boats attempted the journey.
The boat carrying at least 150 people ran out of fuel and was stranded for days when approaching Mauritania before it capsised.
Some 83 people swam to shore. The survivors were being helped by Mauritanian authorities in the northern city of Nouadhibou, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
Survivors said the vessel left The Gambia on November 27.IOM's Leonard Doyle said the boat was unseaworthy and overcrowded when it overturned.
"It speaks really to the callousness of the smugglers who of course have made their money and disappeared into the wilderness. That's the problem here, people are being exploited, people are looking for a better life," Doyle told Al Jazeera.