Drowning of 27 migrants in English Channel is worst disaster on record: IOM 

The incidental amounted to the largest azygous nonaccomplishment of beingness successful the English Channel since the UN migration agency, IOM, started signaling information successful 2014.  

Another 106 migrants were rescued successful French waters connected Wednesday alone.  

Risking everything 

Ever-increasing numbers of radical are attempting the travel successful small, unseaworthy boats arsenic they fly struggle oregon poorness oregon persecution successful Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea and elsewhere.  

According to the International Organization for Migration, since 2014, 166 migrants have been recorded dormant oregon missing successful the English Channel and 22,930 have been recorded dormant oregon missing successful the Mediterranean Sea. 

European tragedy 

UNHCR, says an estimated 1,600 people person died oregon disappeared successful the Mediterranean Sea this twelvemonth portion trying to scope Europe from northern African States or Turkey. Hundreds much person perished successful the Atlantic Ocean disconnected West Africa connected a migrant way to Spain’s Canary Islands. 

Since the commencement of the year, good implicit 31,000 person attempted the unsafe crossing betwixt France and the UK and 7,800 radical person been rescued astatine sea, the French authorities have reportedly said.  

Before Wednesday’s tragedy, 14 radical drowned this twelvemonth trying to scope the UK, a French maritime authoritative said. Last year, a full of 7 radical died and 2 disappeared successful the English Channel. 

SOS Méditerranée/Anthony Jean

African migrants are rescued successful March 2021in the Mediterranean Sea which remains 1 of the world's astir unsafe maritime migration routes.

Search and rescue call 

In July, IOM Director-General António Vitorino called for “urgent and proactive steps” to trim the nonaccomplishment of beingness of migrants travelling by unsafe oversea routes to Europe.   

His appeal followed a crisp emergence successful the fig of deaths successful the first six months of the year, after at slightest 1,146 radical died attempting to scope Europe by boat from January to June, the UN migration bureau said.  

“Increasing hunt and rescue efforts, establishing predictable disembarkation mechanisms and ensuring entree to harmless and ineligible migration pathways,” the IOM Director-General maintained. 

Canary omen 

In September the IOM reported a crisp summation successful the deaths and disappearances of migrants astatine oversea heading to Spain’s Canary Islands, on the West African coast. By the extremity of September, 785 people, including 177 women and 50 children, had died or disappeared successful 2021.  

Among the UN’s recommendations to States to forestall further tragedies, UNHCR has reiterated the value of continuing to rise consciousness of the risks posed by oversea crossings and of the mendacious accusation fixed by smugglers who exploit the distress of children, women and men who person near their location countries. 

The improvement of ineligible and unafraid channels such arsenic household reunification visas is crucially important to guarantee the information of migrants, the UN agency insisted.