Mauritanian coast guards recovered the bodies of 89 illegal migrants near N’Diago, southwestern Mauritania, local media has reported.

The migrants were aboard a large traditional fishing boat that was stranded off the Atlantic Ocean, four kilometres from the town of N’Diago, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Mauritanian News Agency.

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Nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued by the Mauritanian coast guard, the report said.

The boat, which left the Senegalese-Gambia border six days ago towards Europe, had 170 migrants on board, the report quoted survivors as saying.