A record high number of 8,565 migrants lost their lives on land and sea routes globally in the past year, as reported by the U.N. migration agency. This figure marks the highest death toll since the agency began tracking such data a decade ago.
The International Organization for Migration highlighted a significant rise in migrant deaths, with the most substantial increase occurring on the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing. The fatalities on this route surged to 3,129 in 2023 from 2,411 in the previous year. However, this number remains lower than the peak of 5,136 deaths recorded in 2016 when a large influx of Syrians, Afghans, and others were fleeing conflicts towards Europe.
Last year, the total number of migrant deaths increased by nearly 20% compared to the previous year, with drowning accounting for the majority of fatalities, approximately 3,700 lives lost.
The data also includes migrants who went missing, often while attempting sea crossings, and are presumed dead even if their bodies were not recovered. The International Organization for Migration cautioned that the figures likely underestimate the actual toll, citing factors such as improved data collection methods influencing the calculations.
Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General of IOM, expressed that each of these deaths represents a tragic human loss that resonates within families and communities for years to come.
Asia witnessed a notable increase in migrant deaths, with 2,138 fatalities reported last year, 68 more than in 2022. This rise was primarily attributed to increased deaths among Afghans seeking refuge in neighboring Iran and Rohingya refugees on maritime routes.
Furthermore, Africa recorded a record number of deaths in 2023, totaling 1,866, predominantly in the Sahara Desert and along the sea route to the Canary Islands. The challenges in data collection in remote areas, such as the hazardous Darien Gap in Panama, where many migrants transit from South America to North America, were also highlighted by IOM.
The Missing Migrants project by IOM, established in 2014 following a surge in Mediterranean deaths and an influx of migrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa off Tunisia, aims to track and document these tragic incidents.
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