Mediterranean migrant deaths soars to 4,220: IOM
Xinhua, November 4, 2016 Adjust font size:
A total of 4,220 migrants and refugees have lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe this year, some 725 more deaths than were recorded over the same period in 2015, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported Friday.
This follows the capsizing of two migrant boats earlier this week, leaving an estimated 240 presumed dead after the dinghies on which the migrants were travelling sunk off the Libyan coast.
Together with other such tragedies throughout the year, these latest incidents make 2016 a particularly deadly year for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea.
According to IOM figures, most fatalities (3,743) have been documented on the central Mediterranean passage linking North Africa with Italy.
A further 415 individuals have drowned on the eastern Mediterranean route separating Turkey with Greece, while 62 migrants have died on Western Mediterranean sea routes.
While this year's migrant deaths remain unprecedentedly high, 2016's number of maritime arrivals in Europe falls far short of last year's total.
Some 335,000 entries by sea have been documented on European shores so far this year, compared to almost 729,000 over the same period last year. Endit