UNHCR: At least 2,500 immigrants died or were missing while trying to reach Europe

NY September 30, 2023 (QJ) – Over 2,500 migrants have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe so far in 2023, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“As of September 24, over 2,500 have died or gone missing this year alone,” said Ruven Menikdiwela, the head of UNHCR’s New York office. This figure is an increase from the previously reported number of 1,680 deaths or disappearances by the same date in 2022.

The perilous journeys across the waters of the countries bordering the southern shores of the Mediterranean, where many of the migrants originate, including those coming from conflict zones, remain some of the most dangerous globally, noted Menikdiwela. In total, up to 186,000 people have reached Southern Europe by sea from January to September 24, with arrivals in Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta.

Italy has received the majority, with around 130,000 individuals, representing approximately 83 percent of the total during the same period in 2022.