U.N.: Migrant deaths in Mediterranean tops record 5,000 this year

About 100 people are feared dead in two shipwrecks off the coast of Italy, raising the number of migrants estimated to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this year to a record 5,000, U.N. agencies said Friday.  

The tally of those killed while trying to cross the vast expanse of treacherous water to reach Europe skyrocketed in 2016 despite far fewer crossings than last year. 

In 2015, over 1 million people crossed the ocean and nearly 3,800 died during the journey, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

So far this year, about 359,000 migrants and refugees fleeing war-torn areas of the Middle East and Africa have reached Europe by sea, according to IOM figures. Many attempt to make the crossing between Libya and Italy.

This is what it looks like for refugees rescued from Mediterranean Sea

For crews saving desperate refugees 'a good heart is not enough'

Rescued refugees: Optimistic about future despite past

“This tragedy reminds us that the humanitarian emergency involving thousands of people dying while trying to flee Libya is not over,” said IOM Rome spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo. “In 2016 the number of arrivals by sea in Italy has kept growing, but The number of migrants dying is up dramatically." 

Giacomo said 5,000 people died in 2016, compared to 3,777 deaths registered in the same period in 2015. "That is nearly more than 2,000 more than in 2014, another year when over 3,000 men, women and children were lost on this dangerous passage,” he added. 

“The latest information we have is that yesterday, in two incidents, as many as 100 people lost their lives,” said William Spindler, spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, according to the Associated Press. 

On average, 14 people have died every day this year in the Mediterranean, according to IOM. There are likely scores more that go unreported, their bodies never found or deaths never reported.

The number of shipwrecks reflect the poor conditions of the boats migrants are using to travel and harsh weather conditions, Giacomo said. 

“We are seeing more migrants crossing this winter. This trend confirms the fact that conditions in Libya are becoming increasingly dangerous for migrants, who are often trying to flee the country in order to save their lives,” he said. 

IOM spokesman Joel Millman said told media outlets at least 57 people were feared dead after the capsizing Thursday of a rubber dinghy carrying between 120 and 140 people. He said eight bodies had been recovered in that area. Another 40 people were feared dead from another dinghy also carrying about 120 people. Further details about the possible causes of the shipwrecks were not available. 

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said the Italian coast guard carried out four rescue operations in Mediterranean on Thursday, including one that saved rescuing about 175 people. The coast guard helped bring the survivors to the Sicilian town of Trapani.

It’s unclear how many refugees think they’ll make the crossing by rickety raft and how many intend instead on searching for a rescue crew somewhere in international waters.

“What people sometimes get wrong is the judgment about motivation why people are fleeing,” said Susanne Salm-Hain, founder of LifeBoat, a Malta-based nonprofit that helps rescue migrants. “Their idea is not to go to Europe,” she said of the people anteing up their life saving in hopes of traversing the sea. “Their idea is just to go anywhere where they can live.”

Sali Baldel, 19, a man from Senegal, who was rescued while making the voyage in late November, described his reasons for making the voyage across the treacherous waters for Europe. He said he fled violence that has flared across the region. Fighting was everywhere and Italy represents opportunity and a chance at stability, he said. 

“Today was my day.” 

Contributing: Jason Pohl, USA TODAY Network