The number of refugees and migrants who lost their lives or went missing while trying to migrate to other countries exceeded 8,500 around the world last year, the highest number in 10 years.
This was announced on the 26th by IOM (International Organization for Migration), a related organization of the United Nations.
According to this report, at least 8,542 refugees and migrants lost their lives or went missing last year when their boats capsized while attempting to migrate to other countries.
This is an increase of approximately 20% compared to 7,141 people the year before, and is the highest number in the past 10 years since statistics began being collected in 2014.
The most common cause of death or disappearance is drowning due to boat accidents, and it is pointed out that 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, and countries are becoming increasingly wary of accepting asylum seekers.
The IOM is calling on all countries to cooperate in creating systems that allow refugees and others to safely evacuate, and in maritime rescue operations.