Although fewer migrants are attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Europe than in 2017, there has been an increase in the proportion of those who die en route. The UN refugee agency UNHCR reports that one person died or went missing for every 18 people who made the crossing between January and July 2018, compared with one in 42 people in the same period in 2017. More than 1,700 migrants have died trying to cross into Europe in 2018.
The increase in rate of deaths has come as there has been a clampdown on search-and-rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean, and the refusal of some European countries to accept rescued migrants. Migrants rescued at sea are now being directed back to Libya, where many end up in detention centres.
The last private search-and-rescue vessel working in the area, the Aquarius, has had its Panama flag revoked by the Panamanian maritime authorities.
The ship was in the news earlier this year. In June, the new Italian government refused to allow it to land with 692 rescued migrants; they were eventually accepted by Spain. In August, Malta only allowed it to dock after five European countries agreed to take in the 141 rescued migrants on board.
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