play Live Sign upShow navigation menuplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|MigrationMediterranean migrant deaths mounting towards 1,000 in 2026: UNThe International Organization for Migration laments one of the deadliest starts to a year since record keeping began.
twitterwhatsappcopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoMigrant deaths in the Mediterranean in first three months of 2026 were the highest since the UN agency began collecting data [File: Francisco Seco/AP]By AFP and APPublished On 7 Apr 20267 Apr 2026More than 180 people are feared dead or missing in shipwrecks across the Mediterranean over the past 10 days, according to the United Nations, taking the tally to nearly 1,000 deaths since the start of 2026.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that about 765 people had died in the Central Mediterranean so far in 2026 – exceeding the total during the same period last year by more than 460.
“Across the Mediterranean as a whole, at least 990 deaths have been recorded in 2026”, IOM said in a statement, adding that it was “one of the deadliest starts to a year since 2014”, when it began collecting this data.
The agency said that just since March 28, at least 181 people had died or gone missing in five separate shipwrecks.
In the latest incident on Sunday, the agency said more than 80 migrants had gone missing when their boat capsized due to “rough weather” in the Central Mediterranean after departing from Tajoura in Libya, with approximately 120 people onboard.
Libya has been a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country plunged into chaos after a 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Thirty-two survivors were rescued by a merchant vessel and a tugboat and later brought to Lampedusa by the Italian coast guard, it said, adding that two bodies had been recovered.
The tiny island of Lampedusa is the main entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, with thousands dying during the perilous journey.
In an earlier shipwreck on April 1, at least 19 migrants were found dead aboard a vessel off Lampedusa, IOM said, adding that 58 people, including women and children, had been rescued, with several in critical condition.
Survivors said that boat had left Zuara in Libya overnight between March 28 and 29.
“These tragedies show, once again, that far too many people are still risking their lives on dangerous routes,” IOM chief Amy Pope said in the statement.
“Saving lives must come first. But we also need stronger, unified efforts to stop traffickers and smugglers from exploiting vulnerable people, and to expand safe and regular pathways – so no one is ever forced into these deadly journeys.”
