„Migrants drowned in Mediterranean ‚could have been saved‘
BBC News examines why the Mediterranean crossing is so deadly
The drowning of more than 300 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea this week could have been prevented with better EU lifesaving provisions, experts say. The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, says more migrants are dying because search and rescue efforts have been reduced.
Italy’s major patrol and rescue operation ended last year. A smaller scale EU operation, Triton, took over.
The UNHCR says about 3,500 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2014.