The International Organisation for Migration, IOM, has said 8,541 migrants drowned and died while migrating in 2023, making the year the deadliest on record for migrants.
According to the IOM report published on Tuesday, one in three migrant deaths happens while people flee conflict, and more than two in three migrants whose deaths have been documented remain unidentified.
It noted that nearly 60 per cent of deaths in 2023 were linked to drowning.
The report indicated that in 2024 the trends are just as alarming.
The report said that along the Mediterranean Sea route alone – while arrivals this year are significantly lower (16,818) compared to the same period in 2023 (26,984) – the number of deaths is nearly as high as before, with 956 registered since January 1, 2024.
IOM noted that the number of unidentified deaths remains high – more than two in three migrants – leaving families and communities to grapple with the lack of clarity about what happened to a friend or relative.
To date, the UN agency’s Missing Migrant Project data shows that the remains of 26,666 people who died while migrating have not been recovered.
Commenting on the report’s findings, Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, said almost 5,500 females have perished on migration routes in the last 10 years.
“Despite the many lives lost whose identities remain unknown, we know that almost 5,500 females have perished on migration routes during the last ten years, and the number of identified children is nearly 3,500,” she said.
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