Médecins Sans Frontières rescued 92 people from two boats in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, April 28, the same day the UN’s International Organisation for Migration published figures showing 1,089 people have died or are missing making the crossing to Europe.
IOM figures show 426 people have died making the crossing in the three weeks since April 6.
Worldwide, the IOM Missing Migrants Project reports 1,633 fatalities through April 26, with the Mediterranean region accounting for around two thirds of the global total. There have been 620 fewer fatalities than in the same period in 2016, but the data does not account for full reporting from north Africa and the Horn of Africa, where data collection takes longer.
On April 21, UNICEF called for more legal avenues to help people reach safety, following news that at least 150 children died crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
BREAKING: The #Aquarius is working alongside @seaeyeorg @jugendrettet to rescue those crammed on 2 wooden boats in the #Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/aNP6JOzEtH
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) April 28, 2017
UPDATE: 92 humans have been safely rescued and brought on board the #Aquarius. Some were so weak they collapsed but all are doing okay now. pic.twitter.com/4xODRobHXj
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) April 28, 2017