More Migrants Die at Sea Even as EU Boosts Its War on Smugglers
- Refugee deaths approaching 2015 total despite fewer crossings
- People traffickers putting migrants on weak, crammed vessels
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Migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea this year are poised to eclipse all of 2015, even as fewer people hazard the journey.
The United Nations refugee agency recorded 3,167 migrants dead or missing at sea in the first seven months of 2016 compared with 3,771 in all of last year, according to figures updated Wednesday. While the number of crossings has dropped by two-thirds, those that are attempting the perilous voyage are facing greater dangers.