An IMO official said the number of deaths and disappearances reflects a “collective failure to prevent these tragedies.”
Nearly 8,000 people died or went missing on migration routes last year, with sea crossings to Europe proving the deadliest and many victims lost in so-called “invisible shipwrecks,” a UN agency said on Tuesday.
“These figures bear witness to our collective failure to prevent these tragedies,” said Maria Moita, head of the International Organization for Migration’s humanitarian and response department, during a briefing in Geneva.
More than four in ten fatalities and disappearances occurred on sea routes to Europe, according to the IOM, which also warned that many of these cases were “invisible shipwrecks” in which entire vessels are lost at sea without a trace.
The West African route heading north accounted for around 1,200 deaths, while Asia recorded a record number of fatalities, including hundreds of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar or harsh conditions in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.
“Routes are shifting in response to conflict, climate pressures and policy changes, but the risks are still very real,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope in a statement. “Behind these numbers are people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may never come.”
