More than 180 people are missing or feared dead after several boats attempting to reach Europe from North Africa got into difficulty. According to the United Nations' migration agency, the most recent shipwrecks have brought the number of deaths reported in the Mediterranean Sea to nearly 1,000 this year.
At least 990 deaths have been recorded in the Mediterranean since the start of the year, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
It said this represents one of the deadliest starts to a year since its records began in 2014.
In the past two weeks alone, at least 180 people have died or gone missing in five separate shipwrecks.
The latest incident on Sunday left more than 80 people missing when a boat capsized in the Central Mediterranean after departing from Tajoura in Libya with around 120 people on board.
Only 32 survivors have been found so far, while two bodies have been recovered.
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World's deadliest route
The Central Mediterranean route from Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta has long been the world's deadliest migration corridor, and the latest data suggests it is becoming ever more dangerous.
Around 765 people have died in the Central Mediterranean this year so far, according to the IOM – more than 460 more than during the same period in 2025.
At the same time, European countries and border enforcement officials are reporting fewer crossing attempts. However, their figures are based on the number of people who arrive and do not include those who die en route.
Experts blame a combination of severe storms, the closure of land routes into Europe, the lack of legal migration options and a crackdown on established crossing routes from Libya and Tunisia.
Surge in migrant deaths highlights rising dangers of Mediterranean route
Spate of shipwrecks
The number of small boats attempting the dangerous crossing typically rises in spring and summer as the weather improves.
In a spate of recent shipwrecks, 19 people were found dead on 1 April aboard a boat that left Zuara in Libya and ran out of fuel, ending up drifting off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Another 58 people were rescued.
On the same day, at least 19 migrants died near Bodrum in Turkey, after a rubber boat capsized on the way to Greece.
On 28 March, at least 22 people died off Crete after departing from eastern Libya, while a 30 March shipwreck near Sfax, Tunisia, left 19 dead and around 20 missing.
The IOM warned that current search and rescue efforts were falling short and called for more legal routes for migrants trying to reach Europe.
The agency's director-general, Amy Pope, said: "Saving lives must come first. But we also need stronger, unified efforts to stop traffickers and smugglers from exploiting vulnerable people, and to expand safe and regular pathways – so no one is ever forced into these deadly journeys."
