Deadly Atlantic shipwreck shows victims’ desperation, says UN refugee agency

© IOM/Djibouti Hundreds of people are believed to have packed onto one unsuitable vessel in the latest tragedy, UN humanitarians say.

News of another deadly shipwreck tragedy off the coast of Mauritania is a clear indication of the desperation people on the move continue to face as they attempt to escape strife, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.


The UN agency’s comments follow reports on Monday that dozens of people are missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people capsized in the waters off the coast of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.… Read the rest

World ‘wilfully ignoring’ child deaths during dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings

World ‘wilfully ignoring’ child deaths during dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings

During the first half of the year, 289 boys and girls died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, or double the number compared to the same period in 2022, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.


The figure is equivalent to about 11 children dying each week, “far beyond what we hear in news headlines,” Vera Knaus, the agency’s Global Lead on Migration and Displacement, told journalists attending the biweekly UN humanitarian briefing in Geneva.… Read the rest

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