The death toll has been rising steadily, even as the flow of migrants arriving in Europe by sea has plummeted. In 2026, about a thousand migrants have already died in the Mediterranean Sea Refugees and Migrants
More than 180 migrants are believed to have died or gone missing in recent shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. According to new data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the total number of victims in 2026 is already approaching a thousand.
In the Central Mediterranean alone, about 765 people have died this year – 460 more than in the same period last year. In total, In the Mediterranean, at least 990 deaths were recorded in 2026.
“These tragedies demonstrate once again that so many continue to risk their lives on dangerous routes,” said IOM Director-General Amy Pope. “Saving lives must be our priority.” However, we must also make stronger and more coordinated efforts to stop human traffickers and smugglers exploiting vulnerable people, and to expand safe and legal migration routes.”
On April 5, more than 80 migrants went missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship, which was carrying about 120 people, left Tadjoura, Libya, but began to take on water due to bad weather conditions and eventually capsized. A total of 32 people were rescued by the merchant vessel and subsequently transported to Lampedusa by the Italian Coast Guard, where they are being treated by IOM personnel.
Earlier this month, off the southern coast of Italy, near Lampedusa, the bodies of 19 people were discovered on board the vessel. According to survivors, the boat left Zuwara, Libya, on the night of March 28-29. A total of 58 people, including women and children, were rescued, some of them in critical condition. Survivors are being treated at a reception center on the island of Lampedusa.
At least 19 more migrants died in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Bodrum, Turkey, after an inflatable boat capsized en route to Greece. Several people were rescued.
The death toll is steadily rising, even as the influx of migrants arriving in Europe by sea has plummeted. In Italy, for example, some 6,200 arrivals have been recorded since the beginning of 2026, compared with 9,400 in the same period in 2025.
The IOM is calling for coordinated efforts to rescue people at sea, as well as expanding legal migration routes to reduce dependence on dangerous routes.