Thousands of migrants risk their lives in order to escape conflict in Africa, Syria, and Iraq. Many travel to Italy in hopes of work.
On Monday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that a boat carrying hundreds of passengers sank off the coast of Malta last week. More than 500 of the Egyptian, Sudanese, Syrian, and Palestinian passengers are feared dead.
IOM reported that the ship departed from Damietta, Egypt and was carrying migrant passengers who were headed to Europe in hopes of better opportunities and living conditions. Although details are not clear, IOM stated that apparently a vessel manned by human traffickers rammed into the vessel carrying the migrants.
Christiane Berthiaume, IOM spokesperson, said that it appeared as though the traffickers used one boat to ram into the vessel after the migrants refused to board a second vessel owned by the traffickers.
Another IOM spokesperson, Leonard Doyle, said, "It looks like this is the worse incident that we've seen. It looks like certainly the worst this year, if it's validated. Obviously, if it's true, it's very, very serious."
In an interview with two Palestinian survivors, IOM learned that there had been a violent struggle between the traffickers and migrants onboard the ship, and further details about the sinking. The Palestinian survivors were found adrift at sea before taken to Sicily by a Panamanian-flagged merchant ship.
Another ship traveling from Africa to Europe capsized this past weekend off the coast of Libya, killing an estimated 200 migrant passengers.
These deaths are part of a growing trend of refugees fleeing to Europe. Most of these migrants are traveling to Europe on unstable ships. IOM stated that in this past year alone, more than 2,200 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean (excluding the most recent tragedy). The previous year, the number was 700. This past weekend there were about 2,380 migrants who were picked up in the Mediterranean, according to the Italian Navy.
This past year, more than 100,000 individuals fled from conflict in Syria, Iraq, and Africa to Italy.
