International Organization for Migration News

At least 48 migrants were killed when their boat sank off Tunisia`s coast and 67 others were rescued by the coast guard, officials said on Sunday, one of the worst migrant boat accidents in recent years.

Twenty-eight migrants have died in 2018 on the western route that links North Africa to Spain, IOM said.

Until recently, Libya had been a major launching off point for migrants, most of them from African countries, trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Germany suspended the controversial expulsions after a sewage tanker packed with explosives detonated near the German embassy in Kabul`s diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing around 150 people and wounding hundreds more.

At least 18,500 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since fighting erupted in Myanmar`s neighbouring Rakhine state six days ago, the International Organization for Migration said Wednesday.

Spain could overtake Greece this year in the number of migrants arriving by sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, using boats and even jet-skis.

The bodies of eight migrants have been found at sea off the coast of Libya by rescuers coming to the aid of four rubber dinghies, the Italian coastguard said on Tuesday.

More than 800,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since a massive operation against the jihadists in one of their last strongholds in Iraq was launched in October 2016.

More than 6,000 migrants have been rescued on the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy in the last few days, as greater numbers take to the sea in warmer weather, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

Nearly 3,000 migrants and refugees have already perished in the Mediterranean this year while almost 250,000 have reached Europe, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday.

Some 3,200 migrants were plucked from overcrowded boats off the coast of Libya on Tuesday and one dead body was recovered, Italy`s coast guard said, as people smugglers operating in Libya took advantage of calm seas and warm weather.

There were hardly any Syrian migrants among the 800 people rescued off Sicily, contrary to earlier reports from Italy`s coastguard, the UN and the International Organization for Migration have confirmed.

The additional migrant flow from the Syrian conflict has put further pressure on search and rescue operation efforts.

Twenty-six people were rescued from the boat which sank on Friday, and were questioned overnight.

At least 35 migrants drowned in two accidents in the Aegean Sea on Monday as they tried to cross from Turkey to Greece, Turkish media said.

At least 10 migrants including five children died early Wednesday when their boat sank near the Greek Aegean island of Farmakonissi, the national ANA news agency said.

A Turkish coastguard training operation appears to have dramatically decreased migrant arrivals to Greece, the International Organization for Migration said Friday, but stressed the large influx had resumed after just a few days.