The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday said the number of migrants who have died at sea trying to reach Europe has more than doubled in the first half of 2021, reported Africa News.
In a statement, the IOM said at least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe by the sea in the first six months of 2021. In 2020, 513 had died in the same period, and 674 in the first six months of 2019.
The report said that civilian search-and-rescue organizations continued to face significant obstacles to their operations as large number of their boats are blocked at European ports due to administrative seizures and ongoing criminal and administrative proceedings against crew members.
The agency said that the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy was the deadliest, claiming 741 lives. The Atlantic Ocean between West Africa and Spain’s Canary Islands was the second deadliest, where at least 250 people died. At least 149 people also died on the Western Mediterranean route to Spain, and at least six on the Eastern Mediterranean route to Greece.
The deadliest shipwreck so far this year took place April 22 off Libya, when 130 people drowned.
As per the report, the increased deaths come as interceptions of migrant boats launched from Libya are on the rise. Those who have been returned to Libya are subjected to arbitrary detention, extortion, disappearances, and torture. It also warned figures for migrants taking the western Mediterranean route may be severely under-estimated.
Antonio Vitorino, the Director-General of the IOM, called on states to take urgent action to reduce the loss of life on maritime migration routes to Europe and to comply with their obligations under international law.
“Increasing search and rescue efforts, establishing predictable disembarkation mechanisms, and ensuring access to safe and legal migration routes are key steps to achieve this goal,” Vitorino added.
