UN: 2023 the deadliest year for migrants in a decade

So far this year, 512 migrants have died. (representative)

Geneva, Switzerland:

At least 8,565 people died on migration routes around the world in 2023, the United Nations said on Wednesday, the deadliest year since records began a decade ago.

“The tragic 20% increase in deaths in 2023 compared with 2022 highlights the urgent need for action to prevent further loss of life,” the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said in a statement.

The International Organization for Migration said last year’s death total exceeded the previous record set in 2016, when 8,084 people died during the migration process.

So far this year, 512 people have died.

The International Organization for Migration said hundreds of thousands of people attempt to migrate through irregular routes in unsafe conditions every year as safe and regular migration routes remain limited.

The Mediterranean, where many migrants try to reach southern Europe from North Africa, remains the deadliest route for migrants, with at least 3,129 people dead and missing last year.

This is the highest death toll along the Mediterranean migration route since 2017.

On June 14 last year alone, an overcrowded trawler, the Adriana, sank off the coast of Greece, killing more than 600 people.

Last year, migrant deaths hit record highs in Africa (1,866) and Asia (2,138).

In Africa, most deaths occur in the Sahara Desert and the sea route to Spain’s Canary Islands.

In Asia, hundreds of Afghan and Rohingya refugees died last year.

In 2023, just over half of total immigrant deaths were caused by drowning, 9% of which were caused by vehicle accidents and 7% by violence.

‘A terrible human tragedy’

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Missing Migrants Project, we remember first and foremost all the lives lost,” said Ugochi Daniels, deputy director-general of the International Organization for Migration.

“Each incident is a horrific human tragedy that reverberates through families and communities for years to come.”

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project, established in 2014, is an open-access database on migrant deaths and disappearances. It has since recorded 63,872 cases worldwide.

However, the true number is estimated to be much higher due to data collection challenges, especially in remote areas such as the jungles of Panama’s Darien Gorge, and sea lanes where ships disappear without a trace.

According to the project, the remains of 26,553 people who died during the migration since 2014 have not yet been recovered.

“These shocking figures gathered by the Missing Migrant Project are also a reminder that we must recommit ourselves to greater action to ensure safe migration for all, so that ten years from now, people don’t have to risk their lives to find a better place. Life. One,” Daniels said.

The IOM urges countries to work together to prevent further loss of life and safeguard the dignity and rights of all people on the move.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)