The United Nations' International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday that more than 180 people are feared dead or missing in a series of Mediterranean shipwrecks over the past ten days. According to the agency, at least 181 migrants have died or disappeared in five separate incidents since March 28, 2026.
The latest tragedy occurred on Sunday when a boat carrying approximately 120 migrants capsized in the Central Mediterranean after departing from Tajoura, Libya. More than 80 people are missing from that incident, with 32 survivors rescued by merchant vessels and later brought to Lampedusa by the Italian coastguard.
far too many people are still risking their lives on dangerous routes
In an earlier shipwreck on April 1, at least 19 migrants were found dead aboard a vessel off Lampedusa. Survivors reported the boat had been adrift for three days due to engine failure, fuel shortages, and lack of food in deteriorating weather conditions.
The IOM stated that across the Mediterranean as a whole, at least 990 deaths have been recorded in 2026, marking one of the deadliest starts to a year since the agency began collecting this data in 2014. The Central Mediterranean alone has seen around 765 deaths this year, representing an increase of over 150% compared to the same period last year.
saving lives must come first
IOM chief Amy Pope called the tragedies a stark reminder that "far too many people are still risking their lives on dangerous routes." She emphasized that "saving lives must come first" while advocating for stronger, unified efforts to combat human trafficking and expand safe migration pathways.
The Mediterranean remains the world's deadliest migration corridor, with more than 33,000 migrants having died or gone missing in the region between 2014 and the end of 2025, according to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project.