- Title: November deadly for migrants crossing Mediterranean, IOM says
- Date: 18th November 2016
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS BUILDING NEWS BRIEFING ONGOING JOURNALISTS AND U.N. STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) SPOKESMAN LEONARD DOYLE SAYING: "Overall, we are counting a 1,000 more migrants' deaths in the Mediterranean compared to the same period last year. So over the stretch of the year, from January to November, a thousand extra-deaths and six times more in November alone." U.N. STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) SPOKESMAN LEONARD DOYLE SAYING: "This is clearly a big rescue mission, rescue operation under different names and different flags in the Mediterranean, a lot of that involves destroying the boats of smugglers, so one of the unintended consequences we think is that people are taking to ever flimsy rubber rafts... So we are seeing really tragic scenes of rubber rafts going under the seas, in the middle of winter, in the Mediterranean." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) SPOKESMAN LEONARD DOYLE SAYING: "So the situation is clearly alarming, and it is certainly worthy of more attention than I think we are getting." UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
- Embargoed: 3rd December 2016 12:46
- Keywords: Mediterranean International Organization for Migration Libya Italy sea
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Reuters ID: LVA00158Z2B7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:At least 365 migrants drowned in the past three days in the Mediterranean in six different incidents, making this November already six times more deadly than the same month a year ago, and seeing the number of people dying trying to cross from mainly Libya into Italy surge by a 1,000 between January and November 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday (November 18).
"Overall, we are counting a 1,000 more migrants' deaths in the Mediterranean compared to the same period. So over the stretch of the year, from January to November, a thousand extra-deaths and six times more in November alone", IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle told reporters during a news briefing in Geneva.
In November, according to the organization, 561 women, children, men, mainly from West Africa have drowned in the Mediterranean so far, compared to 81 between November 1-17 in 2015. Overall, since January 2016, 4,636 people have died, 1,000 more than over the same period of time last year.
The anti-smuggling policies led by the European Union and Libyan authorities could be an element explaining the increased number of deaths.
"This is clearly a big rescue mission, rescue operation under different names and different flags in the Mediterranean, a lot of that involves destroying the boats of smugglers, so one of the unintended consequences we think is that people are taking to ever flimsier rubber rafts... So we are seeing really tragic scenes of rubber rafts going under the seas, in the middle of winter, in the Mediterranean", Doyle said, adding the situation was "clearly alarming". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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