IOM says over 2,000 migrants dead in Mediterranean this year

(ANSA) - Rome, August 4 - More than 2,000 migrants have died so far this year in the Mediterranean while trying to reach European shores, the International Organization for Migration (IMO) said Tuesday.
    In a report, the IOM said that during the same period last year, 1,607 people died while heading for Europe, while for 2014 in total, 3,279 migrants died.
    The vast majority of migrants head for Italy's southernmost shores, which are close to Libya, the point of departure for many of those fleeing violence, famine and war in their homelands.
    Most of the victims so far this year died in the crossing between North Africa and Italy, the IOM said.
    Some 1,930 migrants died trying to reach Italy compared with 60 deaths among those trying to reach Greece, said the report.
    Yet the numbers of migrants heading for the two countries was not very different - about 97,000 bound for Italy compared with 90,500 trying to reach Greece.