UNHCR’s Menikdiwela: Boat tragedies highlight urgent need for new approach in Med

The recent spate of tragic shipwrecks and incidents at sea reported in the Mediterranean is a stark reminder of the urgent need for stronger, concerted action to prevent further unnecessary loss of life among people desperately fleeing to safety.

Two recent incidents near Lampedusa and Malta jointly resulted in the death of 51 people, leaving 61 survivors and two people still missing. Reports of other possible incidents across the Mediterranean Sea in the last week or so may mean that these figures are an underestimate of the actual human toll.

Those travelling are so desperate that they embark in numbers on voyages where their chances of survival hang in the balance. And these are not isolated events, but part of a grim trend that continues each year despite repeated calls to address the reasons why people make these journeys, and to save their lives at sea.

The Mediterranean continues to be the primary route used by people attempting to reach Europe, and at the same time, one of the world’s deadliest. In 2025 alone, over 146,000 people crossed to Europe on all sea routes, while 1,953 people were recorded dead or missing, according to data from UNHCR, authorities and partners.

The latest tragedies occurred during Cyclone Harry, which battered Tunisia, Malta and southern Italy and heavily disrupted rescue operations. Distress calls reportedly lacked precise locations due to the very bad weather, impacting the ability to provide immediate rescue and assistance and ensure timely disembarkation in a place of safety.

UNHCR continues to work with States, partners and communities to identify protection needs early along journeys and to provide alternatives to dangerous onward movements. We call this a “route-based approach”, and it must incorporate stronger access to asylum, protection services and longer-term solutions for refugees and migrants where they are. The incidents also demonstrate the need for more regular programmes to allow safe passage for refugees and asylum-seekers to third countries and viable options in countries of asylum and transit. Such schemes are currently limited in numbers and could be scaled up relatively easily. Despite the overwhelming needs, in 2025, fewer than 3,000 refugees were resettled from North Africa, with places limited to only the most acutely vulnerable individuals.

These appalling wrecks cannot be accepted as inevitable. They are preventable. Lives are being lost because safe alternatives and viable protection options are too often out of reach. We cannot allow the Mediterranean to remain a graveyard for those seeking safety. Only bold new collective action will prevent further tragedies.

Media contacts:

• In Geneva (for Europe): Eleni Biza, [email protected], +41 78 337 8082
• In Geneva: Matthew Saltmarsh, [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36
• In Amman: Tarik Argaz, [email protected], +962 791 223 095