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Palestinian Ministry of Health: Two were martyred in Israeli shelling that targeted a besieged house in the town of Qabatiya in Jenin
At least 68 dead in migrant shipwreck off Yemen: IOM
Trump: We want to feed the people in Gaza, we do not want them to starve.
US President Donald Trump: We will impose sanctions on Russia if it does not end the war on Ukraine.
Israeli media: Polls show that 52% oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while only 29% support him.
Israeli media: 32% of Americans still support "Israel's" war on Hamas, while 60% oppose it.
Israeli media: Core US support for "Israel" hits its lowest, while support for Palestine reaches its highest levels.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reports martyrs, injuries in Israeli bombardment of home in Heker al-Jame area in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
Al-Quds Governorate: Today, the spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque began in a public and dangerous manner, and we warn of a religious war in the region
The Ministry of Health in Gaza: This brings the total number of victims of famine and malnutrition to 175, including 93 children

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.

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  • 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. 

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"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

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