A deadly week for migrant sea crossings

By Nathan Morley

During the summer months, when the seas are calm, people traffickers take the opportunity to transport their human 'cargo' to destinations along the European coastline.

However, using rickety, unseaworthy craft, the crossings are dangerous and often end in tragedy.

There have been several deadly incidents off Tunisia in the last week. On Monday, a boat capsized off the coast, leaving eleven people dead. More deaths - estimated to be 41 - followed soon after in another incident when a boat sank off the coast of Lampedusa.

And on Saturday, another vessel turned over killing two, including a baby.

Over 1,800 people have died this year in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, which is now considered the world's deadliest route. In the past few weeks, Italian coastguards have rescued close to 2,000 people in the waters off the island of Lampedusa.

In June, a boat sank off Greece leaving over 70 dead and hundreds missing.

On the other side of the world, more migrants died in similar circumstances when a boat carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar capsized, killing 17 passengers.

Over 50 people were on the vessel which sailed into heavy seas.

Elsewhere, six people perished when a migrant boat sank attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the UK on Saturday. It's thought over 100,000 migrants have attempted to make the same crossing since 2018.