Two children onboard the boat bound for the Canary Islands lost their entire family before the passengers were picked up by a rescue operation from Mauritania.

At least 144 refugees and migrants have been reported dead or missing after a series of maritime incidents off the coast of Mauritania, in the latest tragedy on the increasingly dangerous Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Europe’s Atlantic islands.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said three rescue operations were carried out from the Mauritanian port city of Nouadhibou between 14 and 18 July, bringing 387 people of various nationalities safely ashore.

The deadliest incident involved a boat that left Bufuloto in The Gambia bound for Spain’s Canary Islands, 905 nautical miles (1,677 kilometres) away. The vessel was rescued on Saturday after drifting at sea for nearly 25 days, but only 38 people survived. UNHCR said 143 others aboard were reported dead or missing.

In a statement, the agency said, “Among the survivors were two children, who had lost all their family members during the journey and are now recovering in hospital with other survivors.”

A further death was recorded among people rescued from another vessel on 14 July.