Refugees: in 2018 already more than 1000 people drowned in the Mediterranean

The number of migrants entering the EU from North Africa by the sea has decreased since the peak of 2015. Instead of hundreds of thousands, it does not only tens of thousands. However, in the first half of 2018, more than 1,000 people drowned in the attempt to travel from Libya across the Mediterranean to Europe

Just in recent days, about 200 people have lost their lives because Schlepper carries them in boats said the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "There is an alarming increase in deaths in the sea off the coast of Libya," said Othman Belbeisi, IOM chief for the North African country. "Traffickers exploit the desperation of migrants who want to flee before Europe takes other measures to prevent crossings over the Mediterranean".

The Libyan Coast Guard alone mobilized nearly 1,000 migrants at sea from Friday to Sunday, transporting them ashore and detaining them in detention centers. Up to now, there have been around 10,000 people this year. Libya is the main starting point for sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

UNHCR, a United Nations refugee agency, reported at the end of June that about 220 people had been killed in a few days off the coast of Libya. Rescuers had collected the figures, according to data from survivors of several disasters. Several bodies have been found.

Video: Escape through the Mediterranean – in motion with the Libyan security forces