The International Organization for Migration has lamented the deadliest start to a year since record-keeping began.
Published on 7 April 2026
More than 180 people are feared dead or missing after ships sank in the Mediterranean Sea over the past 10 days, according to the United Nations, bringing the death toll to nearly 1,000 since the beginning of 2026.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that some 765 people have died in the central Mediterranean so far in 2026 – up from the total of 460 during the same period last year.
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“Across the Mediterranean, at least 990 deaths have been recorded in 2026”, the 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 since March 28, at least 181 people were killed or missing in five separate shipwrecks.
In the latest incident on Sunday, the agency said more than 80 migrants went missing when their boat, with about 120 people on board, capsized in “bad weather” in the central Mediterranean after departing from Tajoura, Libya.
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 overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Thirty-two survivors were rescued by a merchant ship and a tugboat and later brought to Lampedusa by the Italian coast guard, it said, adding that two bodies had been recovered.
The small island of Lampedusa is the main entry point into Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa, a dangerous journey that sees thousands die.
In an earlier shipwreck on April 1, at least 19 migrants were found dead on a ship near Lampedusa, IOM said, adding that 58 people, including women and children, were rescued, many of whom were in critical condition.
Survivors said the boat left Zuara, Libya, overnight between 28 and 29 March.
“These tragedies show once again that 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 strong, unified efforts to stop smugglers and smugglers from exploiting vulnerable people and to expand safe and regular routes – so that no one is forced to make these deadly journeys.”
