Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: One woman was killed and several children were injured as a result of Israeli bombing of displaced Gazans' tents in the Mawasi area of ​​Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Gaza: An Israeli airstrike targeted the eastern areas of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Gaza: An Israeli airstrike targeted Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Al-Qassam Brigades: Communication has been severed with what our remaining fighters (if any are still alive) in Rafah, which is currently under occupation's control.
Al-Qassam Brigades says continues to abide by ceasefire, no knowledge of developments in Rafah.
Israeli media: Reports of two IOF soldiers killed in military vehicle explosion in Rafah.
Israeli media: Israeli soldier killed, another wounded in explosion in Rafah.
Medical sources in West Bank: Palestinian killed by occupation fire; wounded and left to bleed while ambulance crews were barred from reaching him in Al-Ain refugee camp, west of Nablus.
Hamas: Facts on ground reveal opposite of claims, as occupation authorities were ones who armed criminal gangs that practiced murder and kidnapping against people of Gaza.
Hamas: US Department of State's false claims fully in line with Israeli disinformation.

Thousands of migrants remain unidentified, missing in Mediterranean

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 25 Sep 2023 15:12
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

A new report by the Washington Post sheds light on migrants who went missing in the Mediterranean with inadequate identification efforts, leaving families in anguish.

  • x
  • Migrants sit in a life raft off the waters of Tunisia early Wednesday, May 25, 2022 (AP)
    Migrants sit in a life raft off the waters of Tunisia early Wednesday, May 25, 2022 (AP)

Over the past decade, the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from the MENA region, has transformed into a theater of mass tragedy. Of the over 2 million migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East who have undertaken the perilous journey, at least 28,000 remain missing.

A recent report by The Washington Post details the tragedies that irregular migration has claimed in the Mediterranean.

The first quarter of 2023 marked the deadliest period in the central Mediterranean since 2017, as reported by the International Organization for Migration. Director General António Vitorino expressed his deep concern that these deaths may have "been normalized".

Read more: French authorities wary of migration influx: reports

Shockingly, of the known deceased, only 13 percent of the bodies are ever recovered by European authorities, as estimated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The vast majority of those who perish are never identified. The chances of a relative receiving confirmation of their missing loved one's death are as slim as winning the lottery, as described by a humanitarian official. 

Related News

Drone display in UK parliament 'pathetic scene' by Israeli lobby: Iran

Wild bee species at existential risk in Europe doubles in past decade

"It’s certainly more challenging than, say, a domestic air crash, but with the right will, it can be done," said Cristina Cattaneo, a professor of forensic pathology at the University of Milan, who works tirelessly to identify the bodies of migrants recovered by Italian authorities. 

However, Cattaneo's Labanof laboratory receives no state funding. European governments allocate minimal resources for the recovery, preservation, and identification of human remains arriving on their shores.

Read more: Four Tunisians arrested for piracy over migrant boat engine thefts

"You collect all the information that you need and put it in your data," she explains. "The difficult part is looking for the relative, but it's not impossible."

"People are voluntarily and consciously turning their heads from the problem," remarks Cattaneo, highlighting the dire need for coordinated efforts to address the ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis.

In Italy and Greece, limited coordination exists among different offices and regions handling cases of missing migrants.

An agreement from 2018 between Italy, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus to share forensic information with the European Commission has yet to be fully realized.

Read more: Over 870 migrants cross English Channel in 15 boats in one day

  • Europe
  • Italy
  • Malta
  • Greece
  • Mediterranean Sea

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jaafarawi in an undated image in Gaza, occupied Palestine (Social media)

Gaza Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by collaborators

  • Politics
  • 12 Oct 2025
drop site

New report details extensive Israeli arson in Gaza after ceasefire

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025
Illustration of fists breaking shackles, representing the liberation of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. (Illustrated by: AL Mayadeen English/Batoul Chamas)

4 prominent Palestinian detainees to be freed: Who are they?

  • Palestine
  • 13 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Iraqi religious leader Sheikh Jawad al-Khalisi on Al Mayadeen Plus, October 18, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Most powerful decision-maker in Iraq is US: Sheikh Al-Khalisi

Flags of Iran, Russia, and China (IRNA)
Politics

Iran, Russia, China confirm: Iran nuclear issue out of UNSC

Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc Ali Fayyad speaks to Al Mayadeen, October 18, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Hezbollah, allies will reject direct talks with 'Israel': MP Fayyad

The bodies of killed Palestinians held by "Israel" during the war are downloaded from Red Cross vehicles after their release, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP)
Politics

From rubble to graveyards, Gaza continues recovering its martyrs

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS