Geneva, Switzerland – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a grave warning after confirming that the number of illegal migrants who have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea has surpassed one thousand in 2025.

In a statement released Thursday, the organisation cited the latest data from the IOM Missing Migrants Project, which indicates that the death toll in the central Mediterranean has exceeded the average annual threshold of a thousand fatalities since the beginning of the year.

The IOM noted the dramatic increase in victims and stressed the pressing need to enhance regional cooperation, expand safe and systematic migration routes, and significantly improve Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities to curb further loss of life.

The organisation also expressed profound sorrow over a recent tragic incident off the Libyan coast on 8 November. A boat carrying 49 individuals capsized, resulting in the rescue of only seven people, while 42 remain missing and are presumed to have died.