Greece shipwreck disaster exposes Europe’s deadly failure

Central Mediterranean migration route grows ever more perilous amid bickering and division over creating safe passages

The feared deaths of as many as 500 people in the sinking of an overcrowded fishing boat off southern Greece have once more thrown a spotlight on the world’s deadliest migratory route – and Europe’s failure to tackle one of its greatest challenges.

Since the International Organization for Migration (IoM) launched its missing migrants project in 2014, an estimated 27,000 people trying to reach Europe have been recorded as dead or disappeared while crossing the Mediterranean.