The Italian Interior Ministry has announced in a statement that the number of illegal immigrants who have arrived on its coast from the beginning of this year until March 2024 is about 6,560 people, and they constitute a significant decrease of 67.1% compared to the same period in 2023.
The Italian Interior Ministry explained in its statement that two-thirds of this year’s immigrants arrived from Libya, noting that most of the immigrants who arrived from Libya had left from ports in the west of the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the number of immigrants from eastern Libya to the Greek coasts reached 1,075 people from the beginning of 2024 until this March compared to 860 immigrants for the entire 2023, adding that most of them were from Egypt, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
As many as 60 people drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Malta, the operators of a charity rescue group said on Thursday.
SOS Mediterranee said that it had rescued 25 people in a “very weak” condition in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard on Wednesday. Two unconscious people were flown to Sicily by helicopter.
The central Mediterranean is one of the world’s deadliest immigration routes. According to the UN migration agency, almost 2,500 immigrants died or went missing attempting the crossing last year. The number since the start of 2024 already stands at 226.
