Migrant Deaths in Central Med Reach 2017 Levels in Deadliest Quarter.

The Central Mediterranean has seen the deadliest quarter for migrants since 2017, with over 400 refugees and migrants drowning in the first three months of 2021, according to the United Nations. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that the figure is likely an undercount of the true number of fatalities. The Central Mediterranean has been described as the most dangerous migration route in the world, with one in six people who depart the shores of North Africa on small boats dying on their journeys. The IOM has called for strengthening search and rescue missions and addressing the multiple causes pushing people to undertake these perilous sea crossings.