Death of about 33,000 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea since 2014

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN, recently announced at a press briefing that since 2014, over 32,700 migrant deaths have been recorded in the Mediterranean.

He said this has turned the Mediterranean into a deadly trap for migrants, while also serving as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants and refugees on their way to Europe.

Dujarric recalled: “Twelve years ago, around this time, 368 people lost their lives at sea in search of a better life off the Italian island of Lampedusa, when a fishing boat carrying about 500 African migrants caught fire and sank near the island. At that time, UN agencies made widespread calls for change and a commitment to ensure that such tragedies would not be repeated.”

He continued: “Yet today, we are still mourning lives lost at sea.”

According to UN agencies, since that tragic incident, an average of 42 people has died each week on the central Mediterranean route, with estimates indicating that one in five victims has been a child.

Dujarric stressed that UN agencies are calling for stronger international cooperation, addressing conflicts, and expanding safe and regular migration channels in order to reduce reliance on dangerous sea crossings organized by smugglers.