UNHCR commends the efforts of Armed Forces of Malta as 87 people were found in distress and rescued from a dinghy east of Malta in the morning of 22 January.
Initial reports suggest that a terrible tragedy has unfolded on the overcrowded vessel at sea as around 20 people who were on board perished in recent days. Some of those rescued and brought to Malta remain in critical condition after drinking seawater.
This latest death toll in the Mediterranean adds to the shocking statistics of 2014 when around 3,500 people died in the Mediterranean Sea in their attempt to reach Europe.
UNHCR reiterates the call for urgent and concerted European action, including through strengthened search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean as well as effective cooperation among states in the response to such desperate sea journeys. At the same time UNHCR promotes redoubled efforts also in countries of transit and in regions of origin to ensure that people who are on the move to find protection can access legal ways of finding safe havens and sustainable solutions.
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