Rising migrant deaths worldwide top 4,470 in 2021
The UN migration agency has said that 4,470 migrants died along migration routes worldwide in 2021, exceeding the 4,236 deaths registered in 2020.
missing persons
Iraqi child missing at Polish-Belarus border
On Wednesday, a four-year-old Iraqi girl was reported missing at the Polish-Belarus border. The child was separated from her parents after they crossed into Poland on Monday night.
Spain's Canary Islands draw more migrants despite dangers
A lack of prospects exacerbated by the pandemic has been leading tens of thousands of Africans to make the dangerous crossing to Spain's Canary Islands. It remains unclear how many have died in the attempt.
75 migrants feared dead in shipwreck in Central Mediterranean
In one of this year's worst tragedies involving migrants trying to reach Europe by boat via the Mediterranean, at least 75 migrants have presumably died off the coast of Libya. Over 1,200 migrants have gone missing so far this year in the Central Mediterranean Sea.
UN: 18,000 dead or missing in Med since 2013
The UN has calculated that almost 18,000 people lost their lives in the Mediterranean since a ship capsized in 2013 off Lampedusa, killing 368.
Migrant death toll increases on Atlantic route to Canary Islands
The migrant route between Western Africa and the Canary Islands is proving to be increasingly deadly, as 29 people -- including seven children -- died last Friday out of a total of 55 who made the journey. Another incident took place Monday night, in which 13 people died off the coast of Fuerteventura. The NGO Caminando Fronteras denounced "a humanitarian crisis".
At least 16 people feared dead in Libya shipwreck
A boat crowed with dozens of migrants has capsized off Libya. UN officials say at least 16 people are missing, presumed dead.
Dying to reach Europe: The Atlantic crossing
A tally of the numbers of migrants who die or go missing during their journeys is impossible to establish definitively, since so many go without telling people, and travel via illegal means. Deaths at sea are even harder to trace, because many of the bodies are never recovered. The Atlantic Crossing from West Africa towards the Canaries is one of the worst routes for this.
Dozens missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
The boat had originally set off towards Europe from the Libyan city of Zuwara. Over 120 migrants were aboard.
Northern Italy: 75% of missing under 18, mostly migrants
Italian police have said that in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, on the border with Slovenia, some 75% of those that have gone missing are under age 18 compared with a national average of 50%. The region is a transit area for the "Balkan route" for migrants from the Middle East towards countries in northern Europe.
At least 17 migrants dead off Tunisian coast
The IOM has confirmed that at least 17 migrants are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean on Wednesday evening. Their ship, which is thought to have departed from Libya, got into difficulty off the Tunisian coast. Two women were rescued.
Torn apart: IOM report criticizes lack of support in missing migrant cases
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has released a report examining the anguish and turmoil that migrants and refugees experience not knowing what happened to their relatives and friends. Above all, it focused on legal hurdles, especially faced by migrants in the UK, that might make an already painful situation worse.