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The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) documented 441
migrant deaths between January and March on the world's
deadliest migration route, in what it said was likely an
undercount. Around half of those deaths were linked to delays in
state-led rescue efforts and, in one case, the absence of any
rescue mission, it said.
"The persisting humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean
is intolerable," said IOM Director General António Vitorino.
"With more than 20,000 deaths recorded on this route since 2014,
I fear that these deaths have been normalized. States must
respond."
Thousands of mostly African migrants embark on the dangerous
journey from the shores of Libya and Egypt, often in small,
inflatable boats, in search of a better life in Europe.
This "central" route is distinct from the Western crossing from
Morocco to Spain.
Frequently, the ships sink, as in the case of a deadly shipwreck
off the southern Italian region of Calabria in late February
that killed at least 72 migrants.
Italy's cabinet on Tuesday announced a state of emergency on
immigration following a "sharp rise" in flows across the
Mediterranean, in a move aimed at better management of migrant
arrivals and repatriation facilities.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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