The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that “diminishing NGO-led efforts on the Central Mediterranean route have been important factors leading to the loss of more lives.”
IOM’s remarks came following the death of 61 people, who drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libyan shores during the night between 14 and 15 December.
In a statement, IOM said the incident is “a stark reminder of the need for states to urgently address the mounting death toll on the world’s most dangerous maritime crossing where 2,571 people have died so far this year.”
“What happened over the weekend off the coast of Libya is beyond heartbreaking; no human being should have to go through what they did,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
“This tragedy, which occurred just two days before the world marks International Migrants Day, is further compelling evidence of the risks people will take in order to improve their lives, and of our collective obligation to find better, safer pathways for people on the move.”
According to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project (MMP), 28,320 men, women and children have died or disappeared on the Mediterranean Sea since 2014. Nearly 90 percent (2,271) of those who have died or disappeared there in 2023 – the highest recorded since 2017 – were crossing the Central Mediterranean route.
IOM said documented deaths are likely an undercount of the true number of lives lost on the Mediterranean.