The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed their deep regret over the casualties of the two shipwrecks off Evia and Samos island, in a joint statement on Thursday.
They also expressed their appreciation for the efforts by Greek authorities and all those involved in rescue operations, and expressed their fear that dozens more are still missing.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, a total of 25,114 deaths have been recorded between 2014 and the end of October 2022 in the Mediterranean. Of all fatalities, 2,162 people have died in the East Mediterranean.
UNHCR Representative in Greece Maria Clara Martin said that the tragic deaths at sea can be avoided, but only through coordinated action and international collaboration toward viable solutions. Refugees need realistic and humane alternatives that protect their right to security and asulym, in order not to keep following gradually more dangerous journeys through human trafficker networks.
In a similar message, IOM Representative in Greece Gianluca Rocco said that the need to save lives and prevent more tragedies should be a priority, guiding international efforts to promote secure migration paths that will reduce the danger that migrants may lose their lives or end up missing.
The Evia shipwreck, off the turbulent Cape Kafireas on November 1, cost the lives of 22 migrants, and had 12 survivors. The one off Samos, in the East Aegean, had 4 survivors out of 10 on board a dinghy on October 31.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
