Over 1,000 people rescued off the coast of West Africa

More than 1,000 migrants have been rescued off the coast of West Africa in the space of a week, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The 1,046 people were travelling in seven boats from The Gambia to the Canary Islands when they suffered an emergency at sea, the organisation said on Monday.

The boats were intercepted in the last week of August and the passengers have been taken to the towns of Nouadhibou in Mauritania and Rosso and Dakar in Senegal.

The survivors were suffering from, amongst other things, extreme dehydration, loss of consciousness, broken bones, extreme fatigue and skin, stomach and respiratory tract infections, reports MSF, which has provided emergency medical assistance.

Most of those on board were from Senegal and The Gambia. Others were from Mali, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, amongst other countries.