Rome, 2 July 2024 – In the month of June alone, the waters of the Mediterranean have swallowed up ninety human lives and left three people missing, a tragic toll that represents an average of three deaths per day. This figure, already dramatic in itself, is underestimated. The arrivals of migrants on the Italian coasts were 4,700, of which just over 1,000 in the last week, with an overall reduction of 60% compared to the previous months.
Migrants, three deaths a day
The Meloni government attributes this decrease in landings to the agreements signed with Libya and Tunisia, but the price paid in terms of human lives is unacceptable. Monthly data published by UNHCR show a considerable increase in deaths at seaaggravated by the shipwreck in the Ionian Sea, the true extent of which is still unknown. The Coast Guard has never specified the exact number of bodies recovered, ranging between 36 and 41, with at least twenty missing. The alleged equation “fewer arrivals, fewer deaths” is therefore revealed to be incorrect. Fewer arrivals mean more pushbacks to Libyan concentration camps and violence in Tunisia, and the numerous deaths at sea are the result of the Meloni government’s strategy of leaving the Mediterranean without adequate rescue facilities.
The drop in arrivals in June confirms the trend of the first six months of 2024, with a 61% reduction compared to the same period in 2023. Fewer than 4,700 people landed in June, with Libya once again being the main country of departure (66%) and Lampedusa the main point of arrival (61%).
The UNHCR’s June report records 90 dead and missing, and is based on information gathered on the ground. The confirmed victims are 66, while 24 people are still missing. Among them, 12 bodies spotted by the Seabird plane of the NGO Sea Watch north of Janzour (Tripoli) were recovered by the Geo Barents and the Ocean Viking during the second weekend of the month. On June 17, 54 survivors of the sinking of a wooden boat departing from Zuwarah, Libya, were disembarked in Lampedusa, along with 10 bodies suffocated below deck due to the explosion of a petrol can.
On the same day, 11 surviving migrants and one body were disembarked in Roccella Jonica, Calabria, after the boat that had left Bodrum, Turkey, capsized 110 nautical miles from the Italian coast. The survivors resisted four days at sea before being rescued. 41 bodies were recovered, while 24 people are still missing.
UNHCR therefore continues to urge States to strengthen their resources and capacities to effectively fulfil their responsibilities. In particular, it renews its call for collaboration to strengthen search and rescue mechanisms at sea. And to promote wider access to safe and regular routes in the European Union for people seeking international protection.
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