UN: More than 3,000 migrants lost their lives at sea in 2021 on the way to Europe

More than 3,000 migrants lost their lives at sea last year trying to reach Europe, the United Nations has said.

“Of the total, 1,924 have died or been reported missing across the central and western Mediterranean, while 1,153 have died or been reported missing crossing from southwest Africa to the Canary Islands,” she said. of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sambia Mantou.

In 2020, the death toll on these two channels was 1,544.

“What is worrying is that since the beginning of the year, an additional 478 people have lost their lives at sea or are missing,” she added.

According to the UNHCR, the Covid pandemic and the closure of the accompanying borders have had an impact on migratory flows, as many people have turned to traffickers in their quest to reach Europe despite difficult conditions.

Sambia Mantou insisted that most crossings are operated by overloaded and poorly inflatable boats, which often deflate or sink during the voyage, which can take up to ten days, starting from the west coast of Africa and headed to the Canary Islands.

Many of these boats are diverted or disappear without a trace, said a UNHCR spokeswoman.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ