IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a news briefing that the death toll stands at an estimated 2,977, adding that the 3,000 benchmark had been reached earlier than in previous years of the four-year emergency. In the four months since late March, about 20 migrants have been dying each day, mainly sub-Saharan Africans along the route from Libya to Italy, Millman added. "This is the earliest, it was Sept 2014 and Oct 2015," he said.

Source: bd News24 July 22, 2016 09:33 UTC