More than 8,500 refugees and migrants dead or missing worldwide, highest number in 10 years. Most common cause of death or disappearance is drowning due to boat accidents.
Many accidents occur especially when people are crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Italy. Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers in Europe has increased in recent years, exceeding 1 million people last year, close to the level at the time of the 2015 refugee crisis. The IOM is calling on all countries to cooperate in creating systems that allow refugees and others to safely evacuate.