Thousands of Africans lost at sea
Over the past decade, the vast blue sea between North Africa, Türkiye and Europe has become a stage for mass death. Of the more than two million people who have attempted the crossing, most from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, at least 28 000 are missing, presumed to have perished, conservative estimates suggest.
The first quarter of this year was the deadliest in the central Mediterranean since 2017, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Director General António Vitorino fears the deaths “have been normalised.”
Of the known dead, only about 13% of bodies are ever recovered by European authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross estimates. The vast majority are never identified. The chances of
