Migrant Deaths Double as Crossings Fall

Migrant deaths in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean more than doubled during the first four months of this year even as crossings halved, according to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) report cited by Euractiv.

IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels said the decline in arrivals did not mean the routes had become safer.

About 8,500 migrants attempted to reach Europe via the Central Mediterranean route, primarily toward Italy, almost half the number recorded during the same period last year. Yet 821 people died or went missing during the journey, more than twice as many as a year earlier. Half of these casualties were recorded in January, when Cyclone Harry hit the region.

Despite arrivals falling by a third, the Eastern Mediterranean also saw a sharp rise in casualties, with 244 people dead or missing, three times last year’s figure. Many were attempting to reach the Greek island of Crete. Geopolitical tensions have contributed to the trend, while climate change and increasingly erratic weather patterns may also be playing a significant role, according to the report.

The report covers January through April 2026, so it does not include the subsequent arrival of more than 70,000 migrants in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. It nevertheless pointed to signs of what was to come: arrivals via the Western Mediterranean route had already risen by more than 60%, driven by a threefold increase in land crossings to Ceuta and Melilla.

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