The Mauritanian coastguard said it rescued 42 migrants, including women and children, from a drifting boat late on Sunday.
Thousands of often young people have for years attempted the perilous Atlantic route on overloaded and often dilapidated boats to reach Europe via Spain's Canary Islands.
"Mauritanian coastguard forces managed, on the evening of Sunday, August 16, 2026, to rescue and take charge of a boat coming from Gambia, carrying 42 people seeking to migrate illegally," the coastguard said in a statement.
The group consisted of "10 people from Senegal and 32 people from Gambia, including four women, one of them pregnant, and three children," it added.
The boat was rescued off Mauritania's economic capital Nouadhibou after experiencing engine trouble, a coastguard official told AFP, adding that the vessel was towed to the city's port.
"The rescued individuals were taken care of in accordance with the legal and humanitarian procedures in force, and were provided with the necessary assistance," the coastguard statement said.
In recent months, hundreds of people have been rescued off Mauritania's coast while attempting the journey to Europe, a route that has claimed the lives of thousands.