GENEVA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday said here that the death toll of migrants trying to reach Europe through the Mediterranean Sea has reached 20,014 since 2014.
IOM said the latest tragedy was a shipwreck off the coast of Libya last month, presumably drowning at least 91 people.
An IOM spokesperson told a press briefing here on Friday that although the annual number of deaths had decreased every year since 2016, the proportion of deaths compared to attempted crossings had risen in both the Central and Western Mediterranean in 2019, compared to previous years.
With no end in sight to the tragedy unfolding on the Mediterranean, IOM reiterates that improved and expanded safe, legal pathways for migrants and refugees are urgently needed -- both to reduce the incentive to choose irregular channels, and to help prevent the unnecessary and avoidable loss of lives.
