The number of deaths are soaring among desperate migrants attempting to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean from Africa or West Asia to reach Europe. Today’s French daily Le Monde reports on the rise in deaths, with data from the International Organization of Migration (IOM.) There have been 2,063 deaths so far in 2023, compared to 1,963 deaths for the entirety of 2022. The total number of deaths since 2014, when the IOM began keeping statistics, is 27,364 people.
Le Monde recounts an Aug. 6 sinking of two migrant boats off the coast of the island of Lampedusa, Italy, in which there were 2 confirmed deaths and 30 missing. Lampedusa is home to a migrant reception center currently housing 2,500 migrants. According to the United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR), Italy is the main arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. It estimates that so far for 2023 there have been 90,763 arrivals, compared to 105,131 for the entire year of 2022. The majority of migrants are from Sub-Saharan Africa.
