At least 80 refugees and migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea in separate incidents off the coasts of North Africa in recent days. Two boats departing from Tunisia and Libya encountered difficulties, resulting in devastating losses of life. These tragedies underscore the ongoing dangers faced by individuals attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean route. Meanwhile, the Tunisian Coast Guard successfully rescued 100 people from a third boat.
In one incident, a boat carrying 70 people capsized shortly after departing from the Tunisian village of Salakta, south of Mahdia, on Wednesday. A nearby fishing vessel alerted the authorities, and the Tunisian Coast Guard rescued 30 survivors, primarily from Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea. The survivors received medical assistance.
The remaining 40 passengers are reported to have perished. The presumed fatalities reportedly include 9 women, 19 men, and 12 children under the age of five.
Another vessel carrying 72 people departed from Zouara in western Libya on Wednesday and sank off the coast of Tunisia. Survivors reported that 40 people perished. The rescued individuals, who included refugees and migrants from Yemen, Bangladesh, Ghana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Guinea, received medical care.
A third boat carrying 100 people, which also originated in Zouara, was successfully intercepted by the Tunisian Coast Guard. After three days at sea, the passengers, who were from Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, were safely disembarked in Sfax.
On Friday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it was “appalled and deeply saddened by the avoidable and tragic loss of life at sea.”
"We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, while thanking the authorities who saved lives," said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh in a statement.
UNHCR has repeatedly called for increased international efforts to enhance search and rescue capacity and provide safe and legal pathways for those fleeing war and persecution. The UN agency has emphasized the importance of such pathways for refugees to access protection and avoid the dangers posed by "unscrupulous human traffickers and people smugglers."
"We are gravely concerned about the high number of people still perishing at sea; over 1,600 people have died or gone missing on the Mediterranean and West Africa routes this year, following 3,530 last year," Saltmarsh stated.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1,000 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in the Central Mediterranean this year alone. This brings the total death toll on this route since 2014 to over 25,500, out of more than 32,800 recorded deaths in the Mediterranean overall.
The Central Mediterranean route is considered one of the world’s most dangerous route for mixed movements of refugees and migrants. The tragedies recorded this week are two of the deadliest maritime incidents along the North African coast this year.
UNHCR is working with national authorities to promote a "route-based approach" that aims to strengthen protection and solutions along key routes. This approach aims to save lives, protect people, reduce harm, increase alternatives to dangerous journeys, and support states in managing mixed movements.
Mixed movements are characterized by the complex and intricate nature of human mobility, where individuals with various motivations for moving — such as migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of trafficking — travel along the same routes or use similar methods.
The term, which is sometimes also labeled "mixed migration," highlights the complexity of human movement and the need to understand and address the various reasons people have for moving from one country to another.
In 2024, more than 9,000 deaths and disappearances were documented on such "mixed migration" routes worldwide, making it the deadliest year on record. The actual number of deaths and disappearances is likely much higher because many have gone undocumented due to a lack of official sources.
In fact, the scale of the problem is much larger. For example, thousands of refugees and migrants risk their lives each year on dangerous land routes across the African continent. Experts believe that the number of refugee and migrant deaths in the Sahara Desert alone is twice as high as the number of deaths at sea.