Deaths on the central Mediterranean rise to the highest level since 2017

LONDON -- At least 2,145 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean in the first nine months of 2023, which makes this year the deadliest at sea for migrants since 2017, new data from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) showed.

An average of eight people have died or gone missing along the Central Mediterranean route each day of 2023, according to new medical and operational data from the MSF.

The central Mediterranean is one of the world's most dangerous migration routes. More than 28,229 people have died or gone missing in its waters since 2013, according to the International Office for Migration.

"The number of crossings in the Central Mediterranean is picking up again," the MSF report said. "This drastic increase in departures coupled with the lack of state-led rescue capacities have resulted in more distress cases and shipwrecks."

"At the same time, we see a more reckless Europe, where violent border practices such as pushbacks and systematic non-assistance to those at risk of drowning proliferate," the report said.

The NGO said shipwrecks are prompting increased questions on the role of national coast guards, as well as why no immediate rescue operations have been launched despite distress cases being on the radar of authorities before tragedies unfolded.

Shining light on rescue operations in the central Mediterranean, the MSF has said it has witnessed "appalling levels of human suffering" in the waters between Italy, Malta, Libya and Tunisia this year, migrants found to endure a "system of exploitation, extortion and abuse."

Survivors rescued on MSF's rescue ship Geo Barents have presented conditions related to long journeys at sea, including fuel burns, fuel poisoning, motion sickness, hypothermia, dehydration as well as infections related to cramped inhumane living conditions, according to MSF.

Others have presented conditions that reflect the "scale of violence" to which they are subjected to in their country of origin, such as gunshot wounds, broken and severed limbs, scars, and bruises from recurrent violent beatings alongside other physical injuries; majority of which were caused by civilian or criminal gangs, and national armed forces, the report said.

The central Mediterranean migration route – which stretches between North Africa and Italy – has accounted for half of irregular border crossings in 2023, according to European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.

New data showed the number of people arriving on Italy's shores via the central Mediterranean in 2023 has doubled compared to the same period last year. The Italian government in September approved new measures to crack down on migration after Lampedusa saw a wave of arrivals from Tunisia; which has now overtaken Libya as the main departure point in the Mediterranean for migrants on the move to Europe, officials said.

In the run up to COP28, there have been increased calls for solutions to address climate change, which has been listed as factor likely to increase migration flows over the coming decades, experts said.

"Climate change is expected to lead to increasingly large-scale migration from vulnerable regions," says the European Parliament. "Middle East and North Africa is an especially vulnerable region, and is right on Europe's doorstep."

The MSF has called for reform of search and rescue policies to safeguard migrants making the dangerous journey to Europe: