IOM: Migrant deaths in Middle East hit 5-year record in 2022

sicily

A crowded boat full of immigrants captured by the navy off the coast of Sicily, Italy on June 30, 2014. PHOTO | AFP

Nearly 3,800 people died in migration attempts throughout the Middle East and North Africa last year, a record high since 2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

"The 3,789 deaths recorded in 2022 was 11 per cent higher than the previous year," the IOM said in a statement, pointing to the previous record of 4,255 deaths in 2017.