Brazilian authorities have discovered nine decomposing bodies, with initial assessments suggesting that the boat left Mauritania after January 17th.

Brazilian authorities are investigating the tragic discovery of a boat containing nine decomposed bodies, believed to be African refugees from Mali and Mauritania. The boat, initially thought to have carried at least 25 people based on the number of raincoats found onboard, was found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean by fishermen off the coast of Para state.

Documents and items near the bodies suggest they were migrants from Mauritania and Mali, though other nationalities may also be among the deceased. Contrary to earlier reports, authorities now believe the refugees did not originate from Haiti but departed from Mauritania after January 17th.

The boat, resembling Mauritanian fishing vessels commonly used by West African refugees, indicates that Brazil was likely not their intended destination. Forensic examinations of both the bodies and the vessel are ongoing, with authorities estimating that the passengers may have drifted approximately 4,800 kilometers from Para's coast.

The perilous Atlantic route from West Africa to the European Union territory ranks among the world's most treacherous. Vessels off course can be carried by Atlantic trade winds and currents from east to west, drifting aimlessly for months. Dehydration and malnutrition claim the lives of many refugees on board, while some resort to desperate measures such as jumping into the ocean.

A recent Associated Press investigation revealed that in 2021, at least seven boats from northwest Africa were discovered in the Caribbean and Brazil, all containing deceased passengers. This year, European authorities are deeply concerned by a 500 percent surge in migration from the northwest coast of Africa to Spain. Despite a 210 million euro agreement signed in February between the European Union and Mauritania, the bulk of departures originate from the West African nation.

Although Spain's Interior Ministry reports that over 13,000 refugees have reached the Canaries in 2024, hundreds remain missing. In Mauritania, families have formed a "national commission" dedicated to locating missing migrants. Anxiously, they follow news of the boat found in Brazil, hoping for answers.