The death toll of migrants crossing the perilous Mediterranean Sea in 2015 now exceeds 2,000, reports AFP.
"Unfortunately, we have now reached a milestone whereby over 2,000 migrants and refugees have died as of this past weekend," Itayi Virri, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told reporters in Geneva.
Last year during the same time period 1,607 migrants had perished trying to make the journey.
According to the IOM, the high number of deaths confirms "this route as the deadliest for migrants in search of a better life," and warned the situation was worsening.
The organization stated that rescuers managed to save around 188,000 people trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year.
Refugees from conflict ridden countries such as Syria, Libya, and Yemen have been taking the potentially fatal risk to cross the Mediterranean in hopes of a better life in Europe.
