The United Nations (UN) has said that at least 606 migrants have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean since the start of 2026 while trying to reach Europe. According to the UN, this marks the deadliest start to a year in more than a decade.
The figures also include at least 30 people who are suspected of having died or are missing after their boat capsized in bad weather off the coast of Greece on Saturday. Authorities managed to rescue 20 people, including four minors, while the bodies of three men and a woman were recovered. The migrants had set off from Tobruk, Libya, on February 19 and the vessel capsized about 37 kilometers south of Kali Limenes, Crete.
The UN said it was the deadliest start to a year in the Mediterranean since systematic data collection began in 2014, calling for increased search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean to prevent further loss of life and ensure safe disembarkation.
Meanwhile, in Italy, the bodies of 15 people have been found off the coasts of Calabria and Sicily in the past week. They included a man found near the coastal town of Tropea, and a woman in the same area. Other bodies were also discovered on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria.
The Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken tougher measures against charity rescue ships, has provided for harsher penalties for human smugglers and has promoted accelerated repatriation schemes.
The developments come after the European Parliament approved changes to EU asylum rules, under pressure from several member states, including Italy, for a tougher approach to irregular migration. According to Italian Interior Ministry data, 66,296 people arrived on Italian shores by boat in 2025, a figure lower than the previous year and around half the level of 2023.
