Since early 2021, at least 5,684 people have lost their lives on migration routes to and within Europe, while deaths have been increasing on routes across the Mediterranean, on land borders to and within Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.  

“We’ve recorded more than 29,000 deaths during migration journeys to Europe since 2014. These continuing deaths are another grim reminder that more legal and safe pathways to migration are desperately needed,” Julia Black, the author of a new IOM report, said.  

Read: UN: 3,000+ migrants died in sea trying to reach Europe in 2021

At least 2,836 deaths and disappearances have been recorded since 2021 on the central Mediterranean route, according to the IOM, and 1,532 deaths documented in the same period on the West Africa-Atlantic route to Spain's Canary Islands.

The organization noted that if prompt and effective assistance to migrants was provided, many deaths on migration routes to Europe could have been prevented.

Therefore, the IOM urged European countries and other regions to take urgent measures to save lives and reduce deaths during migration travel by giving priority to search and rescue on land and at sea and ending the criminalization of non-governmental organizations that provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress.  

Read: They didn't just die - Spain massacred 37 refugees crossing in Melilla

The IOM was established in 1951 and supports migrants across the world by increasing the resilience of all people on the move and building the capacity of governments to manage all forms and effects of mobility. The organization is part of the United Nations.