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Migrant death toll hits another scary record

Nov 2, 2016, 10:00 AM | Article By: Alagie Jinkang

Not less than 3,800 migrants have been confirmed dead or missing and nowhere to be traced in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016 alone, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said, after 25 death bodies were found in a boat at the coast of Libya recently.

The office of the High Commissioner said the year 2016 is the deadliest in the Mediterranean scenario, after the death toll has jumped passed last year’s, when 3,771 people died.

Ironically, the number of boats crossing to Italy, through the Mediterranean Sea this year, has reduced when compared to last year.

Our correspondent said while the smugglers maximally exploit the jungle rule in Libya by smuggling and trafficking every soul they come across, the international political scene seems to neglect the humanitarian concerns of the migrants. 

The governments of many migrant-originating countries are not fully engaged in any serious protocol to address the situation. 

As a result, these governments continue the status quo leading to many of their citizens leaving the country to take the perilous way to Europe.