African migrants continue to drown in the Mediterranean Sea en-route to Europe, file photo
from AHMED ZAYED in Tripoli, Libya
TRIPOLI, (CAJ News) – AT least 913 people, mostly African migrants and refugees, have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe this year.
The majority of deaths documented by the International Organisation of Migration occurred in the Central Mediterranean where 644 people were believed to have died, 68 of which were recorded in August.
A further 212 people are believed to have died at sea between North Africa and Spain.
Some 57 people drowned along the short route between Turkey and Greece.
More than 60 deaths have been reported along land routes so far in 2019 with 32 of these occurring around the Greece-Turkey land border.
Meanwhile, just more than 13 400 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe via the three Mediterranean routes in August this year.
In the first eight months of the year, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe by these routes dropped by 31 percent from 87 300 in 2018 to 60 600 in 2019.
As of the end of August, most refugees and migrants entering Europe via the Mediterranean routes did so via Greece.
Some 33 600 people arrived by sea and land.
Most arrivals are from Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Syrian Arab Republic.
A majority access overseas destinations via war-torn Libya.
– CAJ News