Officials said the tragedy occurred when the vessel, carrying about 160 people, overturned late Tuesday night.

Seventeen survivors were rescued, while dozens remain unaccounted for.

According to survivors, the boat had departed from The Gambia a week earlier and was carrying mainly Gambian and Senegalese nationals, along with others.

A senior coastguard official explained that the incident took place roughly 80 kilometres north of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

The vessel capsized when migrants rushed to one side after spotting the lights of a coastal town.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the boat’s intended destination.