The International Organisation for Migration yesterday said that the number of deaths at sea this year is soon to hit 3,000, making it the third straight year that a new record has been established before the year is out.
The number of 3,000 deaths was reached in September in 2014 and October in 2015. To give an idea of scale, this year that number will be reached in September, before the crucial month of August, which normally sees a spike in departures from Libya due to the calm weather.
The organisation also said that the Turkey to Greek islands route has almost disappeared, meaning that more and more migrants are going for Libya, where the political situation seems to have calmed down somewhat.
The numbers are staggering. Rescue boats recovered the bodies of 17 migrants and plucked 1,128 survivors from the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily on Thursday.
The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, meanwhile, said the bodies of 21 women and one man were found in a pool of fuel at the bottom of another smugglers' boat. That same rescue effort saved 209 people who were aboard two rubber dinghies.
By Thursday evening, the coast guard reported that nearly 1,700 migrants had been rescued in a two-day period.
The EU, through its extended Frontex and Titan missions, have been patrolling much closer to the Libyan coast following the tragedies near Lampedusa which left close to a thousand people dead.
One of those vessels has since been raised and the hundreds of corpses found inside were given a dignified burial. The bodies which were recovered at the time of the tragedy were buried here in Malta. An interfaith service was held, but the indifference by most of the general public was tangible.
In patrolling closer to Libya, we are again becoming desensitized to the issue as it barely features in the news and there are hardly any arrivals in Europe. Many people will be pleased about that, but we are talking about human lives here. Just because we no longer hear about the tragic sinkings, it does not mean that they do not happen. People are still drowning on an almost daily basis. The Migrant Offshore Station continues to work hand in hand with various militaries from around Europe in saving lives, and it is only thanks to that charity organisation that we hear about what is still going on, on our very doorstep.
Libya seems to have finally worked out a way to face off against IS and unity seems to be returning between the disparate factions there. But the threat of Libya becoming a failed state cannot be ignored. If Libyans begin to take to boats to seek asylum in Europe, then it will truly become a catastrophe. Malta has always said that its priority is saving lives. But the news from the government every time we enquire whether the AFM has been involved in any specific search and rescue operation is always standard, saying that the AFM is always ready to lend assistance should it be requested or required.