April 11, 2023

Migrants at sea

 1440 - About 1,200 migrants on two overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean Sea were in the process of being rescued yesterday, according to the Italian coast guard. A fishing boat carrying roughly 800 people was found about 120 miles southeast of Syracuse, Italy, while another boat carrying roughly 400 people was found without a captain about 170 miles southeast off the Calabrian coast.  

The rescue comes after an additional 2,000 migrants were assisted since Friday amid rough sea conditions.

The volume of refugees traveling across the Mediterranean from the Middle East and North Africa into Europe has dropped from a 2015 high of 1 million, with last year seeing about 
189,000 total. However, seaborne migrations to Italy jumped 50% between 2021 and 2022. Of European countries, Italy receives the bulk of migrants, with roughly 27,800 recorded so far this year, out of about 35,000 total arrivals by sea (see data). The EU has been working to provide more assistance
in processing refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea.


 

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