45 people – including five children – died off the coast of Libya, and a further 10 south of Canary IslandsAt least 55 migrants died off north African coast this week, says UNThe grim reality of the migration crisis unfolding off the coasts of north Africa has been underlined by two separate tragedies this week in which at least 55 people died. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities confirmed that the bodies of ten migrants had been found in a semi-submerged boat near the Canary Islands, in the latest disaster to strike on a separate migration route to Europe. Despite these risks, the number of migrants attempting the journey has grown in recent years as authorities crack down on the routes that span the Mediterranean. So far this year, the number of migrants on the Atlantic route has grown fivefold, with more than 3,500 migrants arriving in the Canary Islands, according to the country’s interior ministry. The surge in numbers has drawn comparisons with 2006, when tens of thousands of migrants made their way to the Canary Islands from Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 19, 2020 22:52 UTC