Mediterranean

Central Mediterranean Sea, February 2021. People in distress at sea, attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea from Libya onboard an overcrowded wooden boat. The survivors were rescued in a dramatic operation by the crew of the rescue ship Sea-Watch 3. The rescue occurred after 15 other people had died on the same day in a shipwreck off the Libyan coast, and other 100 people were pushed back to torture and detention in Libya. The Mediterranean sea is today the deadliest border in the world. Since 1993, the UNITED List of Refugee Deaths has recorded the reported cases of deaths of more than 40,555 people on the move who have died due to European restrictive policies, characterised by the lack of safe corridors or official rescue structures and active repression performed by border authorities. According to the Missing Migrants project, 2,026 people have disappeared while trying to cross the Mediterranean sea in 2021 only.