According to the UN, the number of migrants who have died in the Mediterranean Sea has risen sharply

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced in Geneva on Wednesday that the first quarter of a year since 2017 has not recorded as many deaths in the Mediterranean. She attributed the rising numbers to delays in government rescue efforts and barriers to non-government rescue vessels. In 2022, 334 deaths were registered from January to March, in 2017 there were 742.

Delays in six state-led rescue operations in the first three months of 2023 have led to the deaths of at least 127 people, according to the IOM. At least 73 migrants died due to the lack of response to a seventh case. “The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean is unbearable,” said IOM Director General António Vitorino. More than 20,000 people have died on this route since 2014. “The states must respond.” Proactive coordination of search and rescue measures is required.

More than 441 people on record may have died in the first three months of 2023, according to the IOM. There are also cases where boats are reported missing, but there are no records of survivors and casualties, the IOM said.

According to the IOM, some 3,000 migrants reached Italy over the Easter weekend alone. This increased the number of people arriving this year to 31,192. (sda/dpa)