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At Least 30 Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Crete Amid Record Mediterranean Death Toll

Key Points
  • At least 30 people are missing after a migrant boat capsized off Crete on Saturday
  • The UN's IOM reports at least 606 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean this year - the highest early-year toll since tracking began in 2014
  • Most victims in the Crete incident came from Egypt and Sudan, including four minors

At least 30 people are missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Crete on Saturday, according to reports from Swedish media citing UN migration agency statistics. The victims, who mostly came from Egypt and Sudan, included four minors. This incident comes as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that at least 606 migrants have died or gone missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, marking the highest death toll at the beginning of a year since the agency began tracking in 2014.

The IOM statistics, presented on Monday, highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean migration route, where many migrants travel in unseaworthy vessels from Libya aiming for Greece and other EU destinations.

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