In Mauritania, at least 62 migrants drowned as their makeshift boat sank off the coast.<br />'' <br />'' The vessel which was heading for Canary Islands in Spain, capsized after hitting a rock. Another Eighty-three people managed to swim to shore.<br />'' <br />'' Mauritania's interior ministry said in a statement that the boat was carrying between 150 and 180 people on board and had set sail from The Gambia.<br />'' <br />''<br />''Attempts to reach the Canary Islands from West African countries has increased in recent years as authorities have clamped down on crossings to Europe from Libya. <br />