19,000 migrant deaths in Mediterranean in six years

The Mediterranean crossing continues to be the deadliest migrant route worldwide: 19,000 migrants have been reported dead or missing since October 3, 2013. So far this year, the crossing has claimed over 1,000 victims.

Approximately 19,000 migrants have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean Sea since October 3, 2013, when over 360 people died in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The year 2016 was particularly deadly: a reported 5,143 migrants disappeared in the waters of the Mediterranean. 

According to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), from January 1 through October 3, 2019, a reported 1,041 migrants died at sea.

Here’s how many migrants went missing or died in the Mediterranean Sea between 2014 and 2018: 

– 3,280 in 2014

– 3,771 in 2015

– 5,143 in 2016

– 3,139 in 2017 

– 2,297 in 2018

According to experts, fewer migrant deaths were registered in 2018 in the Mediterranean compared to the previous years, but the death rate increased in relation to the number of departures. 

72,263 migrants have entered Europe so far in 2019 

IOM has reported that 72,263 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea this year through 2 October. That’s a 14 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, when 84,345 arrivals were registered. 

Greece saw the largest number of arrivals so far this year: 39,155. A total of 17,405 migrants arrived in Spain. 

In Italy, there were 7,892 arrivals. This marks a stark decrease: There were 21,119 arrivals over the same period in 2018. 

These are some of the deadliest tragedies that made the headlines since October 2013: 

October 3, 2013: A total of 368 people died in a shipwreck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, including many women and children. There were 155 survivors.

August 22, 2014: More than 200 people are killed in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. Many bodies wash up on shore. 

April 14, 2015: There’s a shipwreck off the coast of Libya with 300 victims, according to survivors’ accounts.

April 18, 2015: Overcrowding and incorrect maneuvers cause a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily with at least 700 victims. Some witnesses spoke of up to 900 victims, making it the most serious tragedy of all. Only 28 people survive.

August 5, 2015: A fishing boat overturns near Libya. There were 600 people aboard, 300 of whom are rescued. Only 25 bodies are recovered. 

April 18, 2016:  A large wooden boat sinks with about 500 migrants aboard, nearly all of whom go missing. The boat had departed from Libya and was headed for Italy.

June 3, 2016: In the Libyan coastal city of Zuwara, the dead bodies of migrants wash up on the beach, stretching a full 25 kilometers. At least 117 bodies are recovered. 

November 3, 2016: 239 migrants die in two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya. 

March 23, 2017: There’s a double shipwreck in which at least 240 migrants die on the route between Africa and Spain. 

April 13, 2017: Nearly 100 migrants go missing from a boat of 120 migrants off the coast of Libya.

May 7, 2017: At least 113 people go missing at sea after a rubber dinghy sinks off the Libyan coast, near the town of Al Zawiyah. The Libyan Coast Guard and some fishing boats rescue only seven people. 

September 1, 2018: Over 100 migrants, including 20 children, die when their two rubber dinghies that had departed from the coasts of Libya sink. 

June 11, 2019:  Seven migrants die off Lesbos. 

August 27, 2019: Five bodies are retrieved off al Khums, east of Tripoli, although 40 people were reported missing. 

October 7, 2019: Just a few days after the anniversary of the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy, a boat sinks near the island, leaving at least 13 people dead.   

© ANSA