List of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea

Last updated

Migrants aboard an inflatable vessel before their rescue co-ordinated by USS Carney near Spain in February 2013 Inflatable boat carrying migrants approaching USS Carney (DDG-64) in the Mediterranean 160729-N-EU999-004.jpg
Migrants aboard an inflatable vessel before their rescue co-ordinated by USS Carney near Spain in February 2013

This article is a list of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea leading up to and resulting from the European migrant crisis with recent migration also related to developments such as the Arab Spring protests (2010-2012), civil wars in Syria (since 2011) and Libya (2014-2020), and emerging conflicts in Sudan, Niger, and Israel and Palestine in 2023.

Contents

Over 28,000 people have died or have been declared missing while in migration across the Mediterranean Sea since 2014. [1] The 'Deaths at the Border' project at the University of Amsterdam estimates that a further 3,188 people died while trying to reach Europe between 1990 and 2013. [2]

By comparison, a total of 609 people lost their lives in maritime accidents between 2011 and 2021 which involved vessels registered by European Union countries or other registered vessels in EU waters. [3]

Routes and context

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has identified three key routes through which migrants in the region travel into Europe by sea or, in some cases, in journeys along coasts:

Journeys before these crossings also carry a high risk for the people involved as they include crossing remote terrains, such as the Sahara Desert, and residing in countries in conflict such as Libya and Syria, [4] from where civil wars with international intervention have led to considerable forced migration since the Arab Spring.

Women and children rescued by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel LE Eithne during Operation Triton in June 2015, off Libya. LE Eithne Operation Triton (18813566376).jpg
Women and children rescued by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel LÉ Eithne during Operation Triton in June 2015, off Libya.

Economic differences between the countries on the shores of the Mediterranean also contribute to economic migration to Europe as people seek higher wages and a better quality of life for themselves and their families. IMF data for 2023 provide the following ranking in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), in countries on major routes: [5]

GDP per capita in Turkey ($41,412) and Greece ($39,478) is comparable, although the Aegean Sea is a transit route for migrants from elsewhere. Southern Italy and Andalusia are, by this measure, similar to North Africa ($17,000-18,000) although the Schengen zone allows for further northward migration. [6] [7]

Countries beyond immediate countries of origin experience considerable conflict and widespread poverty (and, increasingly, climate change) within a relatively short journey time to Europe. Some of the world's lowest living standards are experienced in Syria ($6,374 per capita GDP at pre-war levels), Sudan ($4,471) and Niger (£1,600). [5]

1990-2015

During the Cold War, migration by land or sea in the region was limited (or highly regulated) by the presence of authoritarian regimes but also facilitated by relatively generous safe and legal immigration routes into Western Europe. In the years from 1990 onwards, migration across the Mediterranean Sea and Adriatic Sea increased for both economic reasons (with people travelling from developing countries in Africa and Asia) and as a result of conflict.

For example, several conflicts in Africa, the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001), the Algerian Civil War (1991-2002), and the 1997 civil unrest in Albania prompted several million people to leave or consider leaving their home countries as refugees. The events of the Arab Spring had a similar effect early in the second decade of the 21st Century, especially as a result of wars in Syria and Libya.

The loss of European ships, such as the Costa Concordia in 2012, received substantially more public and media attention than that of migrant vessels during this time. [8]

Memorial at Capo Passero, Sicily, for the sinking of the wooden ship F174 at Christmas 1996, resulting in over 280 lost lives Isola di Capo Passero, Portopalo di Capo Passero SR, Sicily, Italy - panoramio (2).jpg
Memorial at Capo Passero, Sicily, for the sinking of the wooden ship F174 at Christmas 1996, resulting in over 280 lost lives

Pope Francis, however, highlighted the plight of migrants in 2013 when he visited Lampedusa, a southern Italian island which frequently serves as a reception centre for migrants. He remarked: "These brothers and sisters of ours were trying to escape difficult situations to find some serenity and peace; they were looking for a better place for themselves and their families, but instead they found death. How often do such people fail to find understanding, fail to find acceptance, fail to find solidarity. And their cry rises up to God." [9]

2014 was a turning point in terms of scale, although that does not diminish the sense of loss experienced by families and in home communities in previous times. In that year, 3,538 people died or went missing at sea according to UNHCR statistics; 3,289 dead or missing persons were recorded by the IOM's Missing Migrants Project. In trends repeated year on year from then onwards, most loss of life occurred in the Central Mediterranean area between Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia (but not exclusively) and mainly due to drowning (although with other accidents and causes also present). [10] [11]

Around 500 people died during the 2014 Malta migrant shipwreck on 11 September 2014. [12] The eleven survivors included Doaa Al Zamel, whose story is featured in the 2017 book, A Hope More Powerful than the Sea. [13]

DateLocationPassengersConfirmed
deaths		MissingKnown
survivors
21 May 2007 off Malta 530530
27 March 2009 off Libya cca. 25098cca. 13121
March/April 2009 off Libya cca. 2500cca. 2500
March/April 2009 off Libya cca. 2500cca. 2500
6 April 2011 off Lampedusa cca. 30020130+51
3 October 2013 off Lampedusa 500+35930+155
11 October 2013 off Lampedusa 200+3420+147
30 June 2014 off Pozzallo 600+450566
11 September 2014 off Malta 500+0500+9
15 September 2014 off Libya cca. 2500cca. 25036

2015

Sinking of migrant vessels in 2015
Relief Map of Mediterranean Sea.png
Red pog.svg
Sicily
Red pog.svg
Lampedusa
Red pog.svg
Rhodes
Red pog.svg
Tripoli
List of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea (Mediterranean)
Date2015
CauseVessels capsized
OutcomeSinkings of several vessels, search and rescue operations
Deaths1,555
Missing2,216 (UNHCR estimate)

The year 2015 became the most significant in the crisis until that time, in terms of people dying or missing while migrating across the Mediterranean Sea, accompanied by a major increase in international public and media attention. A total of 3,771 deaths or incidents of individual missing persons were recorded by the UNHCR – 2,216 missing and 1,555 found dead.

The Central Mediterranean accounted for the majority of casualties – 2,911 people – followed by 793 in the Eastern Mediterranean and 67 in the Western Mediterranean. [14]

The IOM estimates that the total number of dead and missing people was higher, at 4,055 persons, although in similar locations by route – 3,149 in the Central region, 804 in the Eastern region, and 102 in the Western region – and 3,737 by drowning and 113 through related accidents. [15] [16]

April

On 13 April 2015, a vessel sank off the Libyan coast with up to 550 migrants on board. More than 400 people are believed to have drowned. [17] 144–150 people were rescued and were taken to a hospital in Southern Italy. [18] The capsizing occurred 60 nautical miles (110 km) off the Libyan coast. [19]

Air and sea search operations started in the location of the shipwreck, looking for survivors. Nine bodies were recovered; the Italian Coast Guard stated that "no more survivors have been found".

On 16 April, four immigrants arriving in Sicily said they were the only survivors of a sunken ship. They said that 41 people had drowned when their vessel overturned and sank shortly after departing from Libya. [20] [21] In an unrelated incident, 15 people were arrested in Sicily following reports that they had thrown 12 other passengers overboard, causing them to drown. According to eyewitnesses, a fight had broken out between Christian and Muslim groups on a boat that left Libya on 14 April, resulting in 12 Christians being thrown overboard. [22] [23]

Cross made with wood of broken immigration boats in Lampedusa La cruz de Lampedusa - IMG 20200218 173133 594.jpg
Cross made with wood of broken immigration boats in Lampedusa

On 19 April, a boat that had just left the port city of Zuwarah, Tripoli, capsized off the Libyan coast during the night, with up to 850 migrants aboard. 28 people were rescued. [24] The incident happened 60 miles (100 km) off the Libyan coast and 120 miles (190 km) south of the southern Italian island, Lampedusa. [25] The boat may have capsized when people on board moved to one side when a ship approached. Italian prosecutors say that a Bangladeshi survivor estimated 950 people were on board, and smugglers locked hundreds of the migrants in the ship's hold. [26] Among the people on board were about 350 Eritreans, 200 Senegalese, as well as migrants from Syria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Gambia, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia. [27] [28]

The Maltese Navy and Italian Coast Guard began mounting a rescue operation. [29] Despite 18 ships joining the rescue effort, only 28 survivors and 24 bodies were pulled from the water by nightfall. [30] [26] This incident is cited by some as the shipwreck with the highest death toll in the history of the Mediterranean. [31] Among other incidents, however, the sinking of the SS Oria in 1944, with a death toll of over 4,000, claimed more lives.

On 21 April Italian officials reported that the Tunisian captain of the boat had been charged with reckless multiple homicide. It was also reported that the children on board had drowned because they were trapped on the boat's lower two levels. [30] [32]

The Italian Navy, at the request of the Prosecutor of Catania, has made available the minesweepers Gaeta and Vieste, along with the corvette Sfinge, for search and localization of the vessel sank.

On 7 May 2015 a wreck of a length of 25 metres was located approximately 85 miles north east of the Libyan coast at a depth of 375 metres. The Italian Navy said it was correlated with the wreck of the vessel sank on 18 April. [33]

A boat carrying migrants reportedly sank off the east coast of Rhodes, Greece on 20 April, after striking a reef. Initial reports suggested that there had been at least three deaths. 93 people were rescued from the water, with 30 individuals hospitalized. [34] In contrast to the other wrecked ships, which have come from Libya, this boat had departed from Turkey. [35]

Two further reports of ships in distress in the waters between Libya and Italy appeared on 20 April. [36] It was stated that one boat contained up to 150 people, with the other containing up to 300. The precise locations of these boats was not revealed, and it was unclear whether these reports refer to separate vessels. [37] The Italian and Maltese navies are reported as having responded to these calls. [30] [37] On Tuesday 21 April it was reported that all 450 passengers had been rescued, despite initial reports of deaths. [38]

May

Rescue operations and landings of migrants continued on the coasts of Sicily and Calabria. The ship Phoenix arrived in Pozzallo carrying 369 migrants. Other 675 people landed in Augusta and in 300 were rescued off the coast of Calabria. A ship container Zeran, arrived in Catania with 197 people, there were five dead bodies. According to Save the Children 40 other immigrants lost their lives at sea. [39] In Crotone the Panamanian tanker Prince I brought 250 migrants rescued to the Channel of Sicily, but also the bodies of three others, two women and a man, recovered at sea during a rescue.

Meanwhile, there was also alarm over diseases: about 150 of the 675 migrants who arrived on the ship Vega in Augusta [40] [41] were put in isolation in the port for suspected cases of chickenpox and scabies. [42] For doctors there is no danger of contagion and the situation would be under control.[ clarification needed ] Most patients are tested and debilitated by a wait of two months in warehouses in Libya with little food and water.[ citation needed ]

In Trapani, 104 immigrants arrived on a cargo ship; another 483 arrived in Palermo on the Italian Navy ship Borsini. This also led to a growth of the number of smugglers arrested by the Italian police forces.

Off the coast of Calabria, a rescue operation at about 300 migrants on board a fishing vessel in poor buoyancy occurred about 80 miles from the coast of Calabria.

The Italian Navy rescued 217 migrants who were on board the boats adrift in the channel of Sicily. Also recovered 17 corpses. In the last 24 hours rescued 3,300 migrants. [43]

July

283 migrants aboard three boats were rescued by the German warship Schleswig-Holstein at few miles from the Libyan coast and landed in the port of Augusta in Sicily, while 40 are missing or dead according to the testimonies of survivors.

August

49 migrants killed by fumes while packed into hold and prevented from exiting the hold by the ship's crew off the coast of Libya; survivors were rescued by the Italian Navy and the ship's captain and crew were arrested. [44] [45]

Six migrants drown off the coast of Turkey attempting to reach a Greek island. [46]

50 migrants killed by fumes while packed into the hold and prevented from exiting by the ship's crew off the coast of Libya; survivors were rescued by a Swedish unit. On the boat there traveled another 400 migrants who were rescued.

September

A further 96 confirmed deaths were recorded in September 2015.

DateLocationPassengersConfirmed deathsMissingKnown survivors
13 April [47] off Libya cca. 5509400+144–150
19 Apriloff Libya cca. 85024800+28
20 Apriloff Rhodes 963093
3 May [48] off Libya 3500 (multiple vessels)10+??
5 Mayoff Catania Unknown540+197
5 Mayoff Crotone 250+3Unknown250
29 May [43] off Lampedusa 234+17Unknown217
23 Julyoff Libya 300+40+40+283
27 Julyoff Libya 52213??
1 Augustoff Libya 7805??
5 Augustoff Libya 37026200?
11 Augustoff Libya 1205050+?
15 August [44] [45] off Libya cca. 400490cca. 350
18 August [46] off Turkey Unknown6Unknown0
25 Augustoff Libya cca. 450500cca. 400
27 Augustoff Libya ?160200+?
30 Augustoff Libya ?7??
1 Septemberoff Kos ?11??
6 Septemberoff Lampedusa ?20??
13 Septemberoff Farmakonissi 11234??
15 Septemberoff Turkey 25022??
30 Septemberoff Lesbos ?211 ?45

2016

2016 marked the highest number of deaths and disappearances at sea – 5,096 as recorded by the UNHCR. The majority of these casualties were caused in incidents in the Central region (resulting in 4,234 persons dead or missing), followed by the Eastern region (760 persons), and the Western region (102 persons). [49] Information gathered by the IOM found a similar total, of 5,136 persons dead or missing at sea, including 4,498 by drowning. [50]

On 21 September 2016, a boat capsized off the Egyptian coast with around 600 migrants on board in the Mediterranean Sea. 204 bodies were recovered (including at least 30 children) and around 160 people were rescued, as tens of people remain missing, with approximately 300 people predicted to have died. Four people were arrested for trafficking and breaking capacity laws. The incident may be the worst this year in the Mediterranean Sea. [51] [52] [53] [54]

On 3 November, around 240 people died in two migrant boat capsizing incidents off the coast of Libya. 29 people survived the first wreck, with about 120 deaths reported. Only two people survived the second wreck, with again around 120 deaths reported. [55] Another hundred people are believed to have drowned off the coast when their boat sank after they were abandoned off Libya without a motor on 17 November. 27 survivors were transported to Italy. An estimated 4,700 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2016. [56]

2017

While lower than in each of the two previous years, the number of people who died or were declared missing at sea in 2017 remained significant, estimated at 3,139 by the UNHCR – 2,344 missing persons and 795 found dead.

The vast majority of these casualties were recorded in Central Mediterranean (2,874) with a significant decrease in the Eastern region (to 56) and 209 persons dead or missing in the Western region. [57] The same overall total was recorded by the IOM, which also recorded 2,891 drownings. [58]

Monthly deaths peaked in May, with 623 dying that month; a further 539 were listed as dead or missing in June. At least one incident with more than 20 dead or missing was recorded in every month except December. [59]

2018

The number of casualties continued to decrease in 2018 although it remained substantial at 2,270 deaths and disappearances. A total of 1,600 people were missing at sea and 670 found dead after a sinking. [60]

This year continued to see significant loss of life in the Central Mediterranean (1,279 dead or missing persons estimated by the UNHCR) and the Western Mediterranean (804 deaths or missing person incidents), and also 187 in the Eastern region. The Missing Migrants Project recorded 2,337 migrants as dead or missing, including 2,214 in drowning incidents. [61]

On 8 October, Italian authorities rescued 22 Europe-bound migrants from a boat carrying around 50 people. At the time of the rescue, the bodies of 13 women were also found, and it was later revealed that others were still missing. On 16 October, Italian authorities found the bodies of at least 12 people who had died in the incident. [62]

In November, Italian coast guards rescued 149 Europe-bound migrants after their boat capsized on 23 November. Italian coast guards found five dead bodies afterwards and confirmed that the death toll from the incident totalled at least 18. [63]

2019

UNHCR statistics record that 1,335 people died or were declared missing on migration routes in the Mediterranean Sea in 2019 – of whom 1,063 were missing and 272 found dead. Most of these casualties occurred on the Central route (754), followed by the Western route (510) and the Eastern route (74). [64]

The IOM Missing Migrants Project has indicated a higher total – of 1,885 people dead and missing at sea – although with similar trends for location of casualties: 1,262 in the Central region, 552 in the Western region, and 71 in the Eastern region. In total, there were 1,795 drownings and 90 deaths caused otherwise or where the cause was not known. [65]

2020

The UNHCR recorded that 1,409 people died or were declared missing on Mediterranean migration routes in 2020 – 839 missing and 570 found dead. As in the previous year, most casualties occurred on the Central route (955), followed by the Western route (241) and the Eastern route (105). [66]

A similar number was recorded by the Missing Migrants Project – i.e. 1,449 dead or missing persons, of whom 1,000 lost their lives in the Central region, 343 in the Western region, and 106 in the Eastern region. Most incidents took place later in the year as all international travel was restricted in lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, and 1,375 deaths were attributed to drowning. [67]

2021

Trends in casualties in 2021 returned to those experienced in 2018, with a total of 2,078 people recorded as dead or missing by the UNHCR – 1,214 missing and 864 found dead.

Three-quarters of casualties took place in the Central Mediterranean (1,545) with 418 in Western region and 115 in the Eastern region respectively. [68] This broadly corresponded with the 2,048 people recorded as dead or missing by the Missing Migrants Project, in similar locations or estimated locations, with almost all (2,011) losing their lives in drowning incidents. [69]

2022

Further increases in casualties resulting from sinkings took place in 2022, when 2,439 people died or went missing at sea according to UNHCR sources – 1,452 in the Central Mediterranean, 653 in the Western Mediterranean, and 343 in the Eastern Mediterranean. [70] A similar total (of 2,411 people) was recorded by the Missing Migrants Project with 2,262 drownings reported or estimated. [71]

A small cross pictured in a London church in 2022, made from the timbers of boats transporting migrants from North Africa. Lampedusa Cross in the Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square.jpg
A small cross pictured in a London church in 2022, made from the timbers of boats transporting migrants from North Africa.

2023

From January to December 2023, inclusive, the UNHCR recorded that 3,160 people died or were declared missing at sea on Mediterranean migration routes; of these, 1,086 people were confirmed dead and a further 2,074 reported as missing. The majority of deaths and disapperances took place in the Central Mediterranean (1,908), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean (799) and Western Mediterranean (453) respectively. [72] the IOM recorded 3,105 deaths or disappearances over the same year. [73]

An attempted coup in Sudan in April 2023 was followed by further conflict which led to forced migration, including the arrival of over 280,000 refugees into Egypt. [74] Natural disasters such as the Marrakesh-Safi earthquake in Morocco and the effects of Storm Daniel in Libya in September 2023, and the Hamas-Israel War may have also led to migration by people affected.

February

On 26 February, more than 70 people were killed in the 2023 Calabria migrant boat disaster off the southern coast of Italy. [75]

March

On 1 March, two people were killed when a boat carrying 30 migrants capsized off the coast of Kos, Greece. [76]

On 9 March, at least 14 people were killed and 54 rescued when their boat trying to reach Europe sank off the coast of Sfax region, Tunisia. [77]

On 12 March, at least 30 people were reported missing and 17 others were rescued after a boat that was sailing from Libya to Italy sank. All those involved in the incident were reportedly Bangladeshi migrants. [78]

On 23 March, at least 5 people were killed and 33 others reported missing after their boat, which was sailing to Europe from Tunisia, sank. [79]

On 24 March, at least 34 people were reported missing after their boat, which was travelling from Sfax to Italy, sank. [79]

On 26 March, at least 29 people were killed when their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia. 5 of them were rescued. [80] [81]

April

On 12 April, a boat carrying migrants travelling from sub-Saharan Africa sank, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 people. [82]

June

On 14 June, at least 82 people were killed when a boat carrying about 750 people from Tobruk, Libya capsized off the coast of Greece. 104 people were rescued, 30 hospitalized in Kalamata, and over 500 others reported missing. [83] [84] [85]

July

On 9 July, a boat carrying migrants from Tunisia sank, killing 1 person and leaving 10 others missing. Eleven people were rescued by the Tunisian coast guard. [86]

December

On 16 December, a boat carrying about 86 migrants from Libya sank, drowning over 60 people including women and children. [87]

Further resources

Rescue organisations

Books

Films

Journal articles

Maps

Speeches

Statistics

See also

Individual incidents

Responses in the region

European migration issues


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lampedusa</span> Italian island

Lampedusa is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Italy</span>

In 2021, Istat estimated that 5,171,894 foreign citizens lived in Italy, representing about 8.7% of the total population. These figures do not include naturalized foreign-born residents as well as illegal immigrants, the so-called clandestini, whose numbers, difficult to determine, are thought to be at least 670,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck</span> Capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea

On 27 March 2009, at least one boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy capsized. The boat is believed to have been carrying 250 migrants from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine and Nigeria. A rescue attempt involving the Italian and Libyan navies rescued 21 survivors from the boat and retrieved 21 bodies. A further 77 bodies subsequently washed up on the shores of Libya before rescue efforts were called off. Two other boats also went missing between Libya and Italy, carrying around 250 more people between them. A fourth boat, carrying 350 people, was rescued by an Italian merchant ship on 29 March in the same area of sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2007 Seferihisar, Turkey, migrant boat disaster</span>

The December 2007 Seferihisar, Turkey migrant boat disaster occurred in the night of 8 December 2007 when a 15-meter dinghy boat carrying illegal migrants who were trying to reach the island of Chios, Greece, capsized due to bad sea conditions off the coast of Seferihisar, İzmir Province, western Turkey, resulting in forty to sixty deaths, sources varying on the exact number of casualties, among the boat's occupants. It is the single largest maritime incident in terms of loss of lives and involving migrants in the Aegean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck</span> Capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea

On 6 April 2011, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank 32 nautical miles south of Lampedusa and 96 nautical miles southwest of Malta. An emergency response involving the Italian Coast Guard resulted in the rescue of an initial 48 survivors and the retrieval of 20 bodies. A fishing boat picked up an additional three survivors. At least a further 130 people were not found after the shipwreck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lampedusa immigrant reception center</span> Immigrant detention center in Italy

The Lampedusa immigrant reception center, officially Reception Center (CDA) of Lampedusa, has been operating since 1998, when the Italian island of Lampedusa became a primary European entry point for immigrants from Africa. It is one of a number of centri di accoglienza (CDA) maintained by the Italian government. The reception center's capacity of 801 people has been greatly exceeded by numerous people arriving on boats from various parts of Africa.

On 3 October 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that the boat had sailed from Misrata, Libya, but that many of the migrants were originally from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana. An emergency response involving the Italian Coast Guard resulted in the rescue of 155 survivors. On 12 October it was reported that the confirmed death toll after searching the boat was 359, but that further bodies were still missing; a figure of "more than 360" deaths was later reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Malta migrant shipwreck</span> Ship that sank off the coast of Malta, killing around 500

In September 2014, it was announced by the International Organization for Migration that a ship sank off the Malta coast on September 11, 2014, killing around 500 migrants. There were eleven survivors. The ship left Damietta, Egypt, on September 6 and sank five days later on September 11. Two Palestinian survivors of the wreck accuse the traffickers of intentionally sinking the vessel after the refugees would not agree to transfer to a different ship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2015 European migrant crisis</span>

This is a timeline of the European migrant crisis of 2015 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Egypt migrant shipwreck</span> Capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea

On September 21, 2016, a boat capsized off the Egyptian coast with around 600 refugees on board in the Mediterranean Sea. 204 bodies were recovered, around 160 people were rescued, and hundreds of people remain missing, with approximately 300 people presumed dead. Four people were arrested for trafficking and breaking capacity laws. The incident was the worst in 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2016 Libya migrant shipwrecks</span> Maritime incidents in Libya

On November 3, 2016, around 240 people were killed in two migrant boat capsizing incidents off the coast of Libya. Twenty-nine people survived the first wreck, with about 120 deaths reported. Only two people survived the second wreck, and again around 120 deaths were reported. Another one hundred people are believed to have drowned off the coast when their boat sank after they were abandoned off Libya without a motor on 17 November. Twenty-seven survivors have been transported to Italy. An estimated 4,700 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proactiva Open Arms</span>

Proactiva Open Arms (POA) is a Spanish NGO devoted to search and rescue (SAR) at sea. Set up in October 2015, it carried out its first rescue action that same month from its base on the Greek island of Lesbos. As well as maintaining a permanent base on Lesbos, the NGO carries out its rescue operations from three ships, a sailing yacht Astral, the Golfo Azzurro and Open Arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Libya migrant shipwrecks</span> Maritime incidents in Libya

2018 Libya migrant shipwrecks began on January 9, 2018, when up to 100 migrants went missing as their migrant rubber boat was punctured and sank off Libya's coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Tartus migrant shipwreck</span> September 2022 shipwreck off the Syrian coast

On 22 September, 2022, a ship carrying migrants escaping Lebanon sank off the coast of Tartus, Syria. The victims, intending to escape the Lebanese liquidity crisis, are estimated to number around 150 people, hailing from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. It has been described as one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the eastern Mediterranean in recent years.

Events in the year 2023 in Tunisia.

On 26 February 2023, a boat carrying migrants sank amidst harsh weather conditions while trying to land on the coast of Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort village near the town of Crotone in the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. The boat was carrying about 200 migrants when it sank, of whom at least 94 died, including at least 35 children. Eighty-one people survived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Libya migrant boat disasters</span> Nautical disasters in the Mediterranean

On 25 April 2023, two migrant boats bound for Europe capsized off the coast of western Libya, claiming at least 57 lives. Until the 2023 Messenia migrant boat disaster in June, it represented the deadliest migrant sea crossing in the last six years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Messenia migrant boat disaster</span> Sinking in the Ionian Sea off the Greek coast

On 14 June 2023, an Italy-bound rusty, aging, overloaded fishing trawler smuggling migrants sank in international waters in the part of the Mediterranean known as the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Pylos, Messenia, Greece. The boat, named Adriana, which had a capacity of 400 people carried an estimated 400 to 750 migrants, mostly from Pakistan, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and some from Afghanistan. After departing from Tobruk, Libya, on 10 June, concerns were raised by 13 June, with the vessel then located in the Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) zone assigned to Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) helicopter and later the HCG vessel ΠΠΛΣ-920 arrived on scene, took aerial photos of the vessel, made offers of assistance that were allegedly refused, then remained there as an observer until the boat capsized and sank. After the Adriana had sunk in the "deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea", the HCG and the military initiated a massive search and rescue operation. One hundred and four men were rescued, and 82 bodies were recovered. By 18 June, officials had acknowledged that over 500 people were "presumed dead."

References

  1. ↑ Statistics are regularly updated for the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants Project missingmigrants.iom.int
  2. ↑ "Deaths at the Borders of Southern Europe". Human Costs of Border Control. University of Amsterdam. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Maritime accident victims by sea basin of occurrence and country of registration of vessels". Eurostat. European Maritime Safety Agency. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Spotlight on the Mediterranean profile produced as part of the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants project: missingmigrants.iom.int
  5. 1 2 "WEO Database, April 2023. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: World, EU". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Regional accounts: per capita values". Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Yearly average exchange rates | OFX
  8. ↑ "More Mediterranean deaths as desperate migrants head to Europe". Euronews. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Visit to Lampedusa, 8 July 2013". www.vatican.va. Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. ↑ UNHCR's online dashboard with summary information about people dead or missing at sea in the Mediterranean is presented here: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/dataviz/95
  11. ↑ IOM's Missing Migrants Project collects information from a range of verified sources, which may at times vary from UNHCR sources, which is published here for the Mediterranean region: https://missingmigrants.iom.int/region/mediterranean
  12. ↑ "More than 200 feared dead after migrant boat sinks off Libyan coast". The Daily Telegraph . 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Solel, Hannah (20 January 2017). "A Hope More Powerful than the Sea by Melissa Fleming — on the refugee crisis". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2015: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "MMP data: 2015". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Sea of Death: Many Migrants Drown Trying to Reach Italy". NBC News. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Scherer, Steve; Jones, Gavin; Nebehay, Stephanie. "400 migrants die in shipwreck off Libya, survivors say". Reuters. No. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Several minors among victims of Libya shipwreck". News24. No. 15 April 2015. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Libya migrants: Hundreds feared drowned in Mediterranean". BBC. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "At least 41 drown off Libyan coast". Middle East Eye . Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "41 more migrants feared drowned in new shipwreck". ITV.com. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Migrants charged with throwing 12 Christians overboard". The Irish Times . 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Muslim migrants 'threw Christians overboard during row on boat from Libya to Italy', say police". The Independent . 17 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Bonomolo, Alessandra; Krichgaessner, Stephanie (20 April 2015). "UN says 800 migrants dead in boat disaster as Italy launches rescue of two more vessels". TheGuardian.com . Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck". The Guardian. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Survivor: Smugglers locked hundreds in hold of capsized boat". Associated Press. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mediterranean boat capsizing: deadliest incident on record". UNHCR. 21 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "Mediterranean boat disaster: '200 Senegalese' among dead". BBC News. 30 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Updated – Joseph Muscat and Matteo Renzi call for urgent EU summit meeting". Malta Today. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  30. 1 2 3 Bonomolo, Alessandra; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (21 April 2015). "Migrant boat captain arrested as survivors of sinking reach Italy". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "Libya migrant boat sinking: Up to 700 feared dead as migrant ship capsizes in waters south of Italy". ABC News. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  32. ↑ "Mediterranean capsized migrants' boat's captain charged". BBC News. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "Localizzato il barcone della tragedia costata 800 vittime" [The boat of the tragedy that cost 800 victims has been located]. ilsole24ore.com. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  34. ↑ "Three reported dead as new footage emerges of migrants being rescued off Greek island of Rhodes". The Independent. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  35. ↑ Zikakou, Ioanna (20 April 2015). "Tragedy with 200 Migrants Leaves 3 Dead in Rhodes". Greek Reporter . Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  36. ↑ "Two more Mediterranean migrant boats issue distress calls as EU ministers meet". The Guardian . 20 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  37. 1 2 "New Mediterranean migrant distress calls as EU meets". BBC News. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  38. ↑ Goldstein, Sasha (21 April 2015). "Captain, crew member arrested in Mediterranean migrant ship disaster; EU leaders plan to 'destroy' smuggler boats". Daily News . New York. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  39. ↑ "'Dozens die' as migrant boat sinks". BBC News. 5 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Migrants are disembarked from the Italian navy ship Vega in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, southern Italy, May 4, 2015 4 May 2015 Alamy
  41. ↑ The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis: Risking Everything for a Chance at a Better Life ALAN TAYLOR 11 MAY 2015, accessed 30 June 2023
  42. ↑ Some 150 migrants in isolation over chickenpox, scabies: Catania doctors order move to prevent contagion 5 May 2015 www.ansa.it, accessed 30 June 2023
  43. 1 2 "Notizie Attualità La Marina recupera 17 cadaveri al largo della Libia. Salvati 217 migranti" [News Current The Navy recovers 17 bodies off the coast of Libya. 217 migrants saved]. www.ilsole24ore.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  44. 1 2 "40 migrants 'killed by fumes' in hold of boat off Libya". Irish Independent. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  45. 1 2 Povoledo, Elisabetta (18 August 2015). "Italy Arrests Ship's Captain and Crew Over Suffocation Deaths of 49 Migrants". New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  46. 1 2 Corder, Mike (18 August 2015). "6 migrants drown off Turkish coast trying to reach Greece". Morning Journal. AP. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  47. ↑ "Hundreds of migrants believed to have drowned off Libya after boat capsizes". The Guardian. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  48. ↑ "Immigrati, oltre 3.500 in arrivo Almeno una decina i morti in Libia" [Immigrants, over 3,500 arriving At least a dozen dead in Libya]. www.tgcom24.mediaset.it. TGCOM24. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  49. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2016: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  50. ↑ "MMP data: 2016". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  51. ↑ Graham-Harrison, Emma (22 September 2016). "Crewmembers arrested after at least 50 migrants die when boat capsizes". The Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
  52. ↑ 10 women and 31 children die in boat accident off Egypt's coast 21/09/2016 www.africanews.com, accessed 21 May 2021
  53. ↑ "Death toll rises to 52 after migrant boat capsizes off Egypt". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  54. ↑ "Death toll in migrant shipwreck off Egypt rises to 202". Reuters. 27 September 2016 – via www.reuters.com.
  55. ↑ "Up to 240 dead in migrant shipwreck off Libya: UNHCR". The New Indian Express.
  56. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (17 November 2016). "100 people feared drowned as boat sinks off Libya". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  57. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2017: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  58. ↑ "MMP data: 2017". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  59. ↑ 3,139 Missing Migrants recorded in Mediterranean (2017) missingmigrants.iom.int, accessed 18 June 2023
  60. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2018: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  61. ↑ "MMP data: 2018". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  62. ↑ "Italian coastguard finds bodies of migrants who drowned at sea". The Guardian. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  63. ↑ "Italy recovers 5 more bodies from sunken migrant boat". Associated Press. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  64. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2019: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  65. ↑ "MMP data: 2019". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  66. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2020: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  67. ↑ "MMP data: 2020". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  68. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2021: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  69. ↑ "MMP data: 2021". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  70. ↑ "Dead and Missing at Sea 2022: Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes". UNHCR. Italy. 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  71. ↑ "MMP data: 2022". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  72. ↑ "Dead and Missing 2023: Operational Data Portal - Mediterranean Situation". UNHCR. Italy. 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  73. ↑ "MMP data: 2023". Missing Migrants Project. Switzerland: IOM. 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  74. ↑ "UN: One million people flee Sudan as situation 'spirals out of control'". Aljazeera. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  75. ↑ Giuffrida, Angela (27 February 2023). "Italy shipwreck death toll rises to 62 as more bodies pulled from sea". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  76. ↑ "2 dead as migrant boat capsizes off eastern Greek island". Associated Press. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  77. ↑ "14 dead, 54 rescued off Tunisia in migrant boat sinking". AP . 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  78. ↑ Maccioni, Federico (13 March 2023). "Survivors of Libya shipwreck brought ashore in Italy". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  79. 1 2 "Dozens missing in latest shipwreck off Tunisia" . Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  80. ↑ "More boats sink off Tunisia's coast, killing 29 asylum seekers" . Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  81. ↑ "Dozens of migrants killed in latest boat disaster off Tunisia". 26 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  82. ↑ "At least 25 people from sub-Saharan Africa drown off Tunisia" . Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  83. ↑ "Dozens killed as migrant boat capsizes off Greece". BBC News. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  84. ↑ "Greece shipwreck: up to 100 children were below deck, survivors say". The Guardian. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  85. ↑ "Ναυάγιο στην Πύλο: 568 οι αγνοούμενοι σύμφωνα με τις πρώτες εκτιμήσεις του Λιμενικού". NewsIT.gr. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  86. ↑ "Boat Sinking Off Tunisia Leaves One Dead, at Least 10 Migrants Missing". 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  87. ↑ "At least 61 asylum seekers drown after shipwreck off Libya". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.