The figure for the number of people who have died or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean is at its highest rate since 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration.
ADVERTISEMENTAt least 2,480 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean since the start of the year - a harrowing figure that already exceeds the figure for the whole of 2022.
Last year, 2,411 people died while trying to cross the same route, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which tracks the number of people who have died in the process of migration.
The United Nations agency also reported that 2023 is the deadliest year for migration via the Mediterranean since 2018.
Meanwhile, in the Americas, at least 1,078 people have died or gone missing this year - a slight drop from last year when 1,457 died or went missing in the same region.
The IOM began tracking deaths in 2014. Since then, the deadliest year was 2016, with 5,136 fatalities globally.