Mediterranean Sea crossings exceed 300,000, including 200,000 to Greece
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year has now exceeded 300,000, including almost 200,000 people landing in Greece and 110,000 in Italy. This represents a large increase from last year, when around 219,000 people crossed the Mediterranean during the whole of 2014.
At the same time, some 2,500 refugees and migrants are estimated to have died or gone missing this year, trying to reach Europe. This death toll does not include yesterday's tragedy off Libya where numbers of deaths are still unconfirmed. Last year some 3,500 people died or were reported missing in the Mediterranean Sea.
In the last few days, more people have lost their lives in three separate incidents.
The Libyan Coast Guard carried two rescue operations on Thursday morning, seven miles off the port town of Zwara. Two boats carrying an approximate total of 500 refugees and migrants were intercepted and survivors taken to shore in Libya. An estimated 200 people are still missing and feared dead. A still undetermined number of bodies were recovered and taken to shore. The Libyan Red Crescent has been helping with the collection of the bodies.
On Wednesday (26th August), rescuers coming to the aid of a boat off the Libyan coast found 51 people dead from suffocation in the hold. According to survivors, smugglers were charging people money for allowing them to come out of the hold in order to breathe. One survivor, Abdel, 25, from Sudan told our colleagues, "we didn't want to go down there but they beat us with sticks to force us. We had no air so we were trying to get back up through the hatch and to breathe through the cracks in the ceiling. But the other passengers were scared the boat would capsize so they pushed us back down and beat us too. Some were stamping on our hands." Another survivor, Mahdi, an orthopaedic surgeon from Baghdad, told us he paid 3,000 euros to get his wife and two-year-old son on the top deck.
Last week (15 August), in a similar incident, the bodies of 49 persons were found in the hold of another boat. They are thought to have died after inhaling poisonous fumes.
Also on Wednesday, a rubber dinghy carrying some 145 refugees and migrants ran into trouble when the person steering it made a manoeuvre that caused the dinghy to tilt dangerously to one side. Some people fell into the sea and two men jumped into the water to rescue them. Panic ensued and people began to jostle and shove and, as a result, three women were crushed to death on the dinghy. Of those who fell in the water, 18 are still missing and believed to have drowned. The survivors were rescued and taken to Lampedusa, including the two-month old baby of one of the women who died. Most of the survivors are in critical condition, suffering from shock, cuts and bruises.
Despite the concerted efforts of the joint European search and rescue operation under FRONTEX, which has saved tens of thousands of lives this year, the Mediterranean Sea continues to be the deadliest route for refugees and migrants.
Many of the people arriving by sea in southern Europe, particularly in Greece, come from countries affected by violence and conflict, such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan; they are in need of international protection and they are often physically exhausted and psychologically traumatized.
UNHCR appeals to all governments involved to provide comprehensive responses and act with humanity and in accordance with their international obligations.
While these numbers are overwhelming for the already overstretched capacity of single countries, such as Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia or Germany, they are manageable through collaborative and coordinated responses at the European level. All European countries and the EU must act together in response to the growing emergency and demonstrate responsibility and solidarity.
- For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Rome, Carlotta Sami, on mobile +39 335 679 47 46
- In Rome, Barbara Molinario on mobile +39 33 85 46 29 32
- In Athens, Katarina Kitidi on mobile +30 693 7115656
- In Athens, Stella Nanou on mobile +30 693 79 34 515
- In Paris, Celine Schmitt on mobile + 33 6 23 16 11 78
- In Geneva, William Spindler on mobile +41 79 217 3011
Related news and stories
Ukraine's refugees find long-term support in Europe's host countries
AU, EU and UN push for urgent action to address the pressing needs of migrants and refugees in Libya
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
Your search for « crossing the mediterranean » matched 584 results. Displaying page 9 of 65 pages.
-
Mediterranean: UNHCR pledges to help EU tackle enormous and intensifying tragedy
24 Apr 2015 ... GENEVA, April 24 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Friday said the deaths of hundreds of refugees and migrants on the Mediterranean this year and the sea crossing of almost 40,000 people since ...... -
High Commissioner for Refugees Guterres and Special Envoy Jolie warn of escalating crisis in the Mediterranean
15 Sep 2014 ... They included a couple from Damascus whose three small children perished during the crossing, and a ... between the conflicts in Syria and elsewhere and the rise in deaths at sea in the Mediterranean. ...... -
71st meeting of the Standing Committee - Central Mediterranean route
7 Mar 2018 ... Side event of the 71 st meeting of the Standing Committee Central Mediterranean route UNHCR’s response to risks and ... and dangerous routes for refugees and migrants globally crossing to Europe. ...... -
Tragedy strikes again on the Mediterranean
20 Apr 2015 ... We're on the edge of Europe. Beyond the sheer cliffs in front of us, the azure blue Mediterranean stretches ... Iyla and Mohammed were fortunate to survive the crossing. Now, together, they have the ...... -
Remarks to the UN General Assembly plenary meeting, "Global awareness of the tragedies of irregular migrants in the Mediterranean basin, with specific emphasis on Syrian asylum seekers"
7 Apr 2017 ... The Mediterranean Sea is symbolic on many fronts. It joins three continents and since antiquity has ... Last year, more individuals died in the crossing than in 2015 at the height of the movements. ...... -
On this journey, no one cares if you live or die.' Abuse, protection, and justice along routes between East and West Africa and Africa's Mediterranean coast
29 Jul 2020 ... Africa and Africa’s Mediterranean coast FOREWORD By Charlotte Slente, Secretary-General of the Danish Refugee Council, and ... vessels, embarking on one of the deadliest crossings in the world. ...... -
A million refugees and migrants flee to Europe in 2015
22 Dec 2015 ... As of 21 December, some 972,500 had taken the often-dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing, according to UNHCR figures. In addition, IOM estimates that over 34,000 have crossed from Turkey into ...... -
The challenges of mixed migration, access to protection and responsibility-sharing in the EU: A UNHCR non-paper
16 Jun 2009 ... which the EC describes as one of ‘particular pressure’. • In many cases, people crossing the Mediterranean, Aegean or Atlantic to reach the EU do so in dangerous circumstances, sometimes in ...... -
UNHCR calls for regional responsibility-sharing, identifying the situation in the Mediterranean as an 'opportunity'
7 Apr 2017 ... of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean.” He noted that without safety, basic rights, regular status and education for their children, many refugees would be forced to move onward. ......