Hundreds of people have died while fleeing since the beginning of the year

Escape to Europe

No start to the year on the Mediterranean has been deadlier

Hundreds of people die trying to flee across the Mediterranean towards Europe. Now international organizations are reporting a new high.

At least 606 people have died or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2026. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced this on Monday. According to the UN agency, it is the highest value for this period since systematic recording began in 2014.

The number also includes at least 30 people who are considered dead or missing after a boat accident off the Greek island of Crete. According to the IOM, the boat started from Tobruk, Libya, on February 19 and capsized on Saturday in heavy weather around 20 nautical miles south of Kali Limenes. 20 people, including four minors, were rescued. Three men and a woman were found dead.

Several bodies have also washed up on Italy’s coast in recent days. According to reports from Italian authorities and media, there are a total of 15 dead who probably died during crossings in January. Their boats had set sail from North Africa during severe storms. Among other things, students found the body of a man wearing an orange life jacket near the Calabrian coastal town of Tropea, as the Sardinian newspaper “L’Unione Sarda” describes. According to the report, residents and members of the Italian coast guard also discovered bodies in Sicily and the small island of Pantelleria.

Given these figures, the IOM is calling for increased search and rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean. The organization also advocates closer regional cooperation to save lives and ensure passage for refugees.

In Italy on Sunday, several bishops from Calabria and Sicily expressed criticism of migration policy, which the newspaper “Il Quotidiano del Sud” reported on, among others. Deaths are not isolated tragedies, but rather the result of “inhumane political decisions,” they explained. The success of politics should not be measured solely by the number of arrivals without taking the number of deaths into account.

The criticism follows a decision by the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Last week, Parliament approved a law that would allow naval blockades under certain conditions if there is exceptionally high migration pressure. The government sees this as an instrument to better secure the borders. Meloni said they would use all available means to ensure the security of the country’s borders.