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Migrants who were rescued at sea arrive at the port of Tarifa in southern Spain Credit: EPA/Roman Rios
Migrants who were rescued at sea arrive at the port of Tarifa in southern Spain Credit: EPA/Roman Rios

Over 1,500 die crossing Mediterranean so far in 2018, International Organization for Migration says

Published on : 2018/07/30
By ANSA Published on : 2018/07/30

Over 1,500 migrants have died while seeking to cross the Mediterranean in 2018, making this "one of the deadliest years on record" on a per capita basis, the International Organization for Migration has said. The IOM's Missing Migrants project reported that in this same period last year, 2401 migrants have passed away.

However, arrivals to Europe have also plumetted, from 111,753 in 2017 to 55,001 this year, making it "one of the deadliest years on record" on a per capita basis, the UN migration agency said. And in a statement IOM notes the passing of the 1500th Mediterranean fatality in 2018 marks the fifth consecutive year this benchmark has been reached. 


Spain overtakes Italy for arrivals 

IOM also said that migrant arrivals to Spain have now overtaken those to Italy. As of 25 July arrivals to Italy stood at 18,130 and arrivals to Spain at 20,992 - of whom over 1,400 who arrived after its last report on July 23. To date just over 38 per cent of all sea arrivals to Europe have come via the Western Mediterranean route to Spain, whose irregular migration volume has more than tripled with respect to the same period last year, the agency added. 

'Sub-Saharan Africans 'largest group' 

IOM Madrid's Oussama El Baroudi reported preliminary figures from Spanish authorities on the top five groups entering Spain by sea from 1 January through 25 June. The largest group came from "Sub-Saharan Africans" followed by Guinea (Conakry), Morocco, Mali and Ivory Coast. 

In addition, 3,125 migrants have attempted to enter Spain irregularly via the country's Moroccan enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, according to Spanish authorities.In the first five months of the year, a total of 8,150 men, women and children were rescued in Spanish waters after leaving Africa - and average of 54 per day. In the 55 days since May 31, a total of 12,842 have arrived - or just over 230 migrants per day. At the present rate, IOM believes irregular migrant arrivals by sea to Spain could well pass the total for all of 2017 - 22,108 - before July 31. 
 

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