Mediterranean world’s ‘deadliest border’ for migrants

GENEVA: More than 33,000 migrants have died at sea trying to reach European shores this century, making the Mediterranean ‘‘by far the world’s deadliest border’’, the United Nations migration agency says.

After record arrivals from 2014 to 2016, the European Union’s deal with Turkey to stop arrivals from Greece, and robust patrols off Libya’s coast have greatly reduced the flow, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

Prof Philippe Fargues, of the European University Institute in Florence, author of the report, said the figures probably underestimated the actual scale of the human tragedy.

‘‘The report states that at least 33,761 migrants were reported to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean between the year 2000 to 2017. This number is as of June 30,’’ International Organisation for Migration’s Jorge Galindo said in Geneva.

‘‘It concludes that Europe’s Mediterranean border is by far the world’s deadliest,’’ he said.

So far this year about 161,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe by sea, about 75% of them landing in Italy with the rest in Greece, Cyprus and Spain, according to IOM figures. Nearly 3000 others are dead or missing, it said.

‘‘Shutting the shorter and less dangerous routes can open longer and more dangerous routes, thus increasing the likelihood of dying at sea,’’ Fargues said.

The report said: ‘‘Cooperation with Turkey to stem irregular flows is now being replicated with Libya, the main country of departure of migrants smuggled along the central route; however, such an approach is not only morally reprehensible but likely to be unsuccessful, given the context of extremely poor governance, instability and political fragmentation in Libya.’’

Libya’s United Nationsbacked government said late last week it was investigating reports of African migrants being sold as slaves and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Footage broadcast by CNN appearing to show African migrants being traded in Libya sparked an international outcry and protests in Europe and Africa. — Reuters

REUTERS Grim toll . . . Bags containing bodies of migrants who died when a boat sank off Libya’s western coast, are seen in Tripoli, Libya, at the weekend.