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Migrant Deaths Top 3,000 This Year

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - In marking International Migrants Day, the United Nations says
   at least 3,174 migrants have died this year while seeking safety from
   persecution and violence or in hopes of bettering their impoverished
   lives.

   The International Organization for Migration says the number of
   recorded migrant deaths is likely to be highly underestimated. It says
   tens of thousands of people embark on dangerous journeys across
   deserts, jungles and seas. Many thousands do not survive but their
   deaths, it says, are not recorded.

   The IOM says the overall number of global migrant deaths recorded this
   year is lower than in previous years. However, it notes fatalities have
   increased significantly on some of the migratory routes. For example,
   IOM spokesman Paul Dillon says at least 593 deaths have been documented
   in 2020 on route to Spain's Canary Islands, compared to 45 fatalities
   in 2018.

   "An increase in migrants' deaths was also recorded in South America
   compared to previous years, with at least 104 lives lost--most of them
   Venezuelan migrants--compared to fewer than 40 in all previous years,"
   said Dillion. "This includes at least 23 people who drowned off the
   coast of Venezuela last weekend. Some 381 men, women and children also
   lost their lives on the U.S.-Mexican border."

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