Graveyard in the Mediterranean

The sea around the Maltese islands is fast being transformed into a graveyard as hundreds of illegal immigrants drown trying to make their way to mainland Europe, a new study has shown.

Between 200 - 500 people perish in the central Mediterranean, according to estimates made by Michael Pugh of Plymouth University for his study Drowning Not Waving.

The disappearance of 10 boat people on Saturday night 12 miles south of Malta has brought to light the hidden human tragedy unfolding around the issue of illegal immigration.

Prof. Pugh's conclusions tally with a recent study carried out by the French monthly newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique, which showed that the majority of asylum seeker drownings were taking place in the centre of the Mediterranean and the straits of Gibraltar (see illustration).

Up to 4,000 asylum seekers drown every year, half of whom in the Mediterranean, as they flee persecution or poverty, according to Prof. Pugh's research published in the Journal of Refugee Studies.

A similar number are thought to die on crossings to Australia and the US - the two other main destinations for boat people.

His figures were derived from interviews with refugees, records of bodies washed up on shores, wrecks and government statistics.

Contacted by The Times, Prof. Pugh said he was the first to produce such global statistics, even if he pointed out that the numbers are, inevitably, estimates.

"However, I could safely say that, on average, between 200 and 500 people perish in centre of the Mediterranean, especially as they try and use the islands of Malta and Lampedusa as stepping stones," he said.

The vessels used by human traffickers and asylum seekers are often old and not seaworthy, Prof. Pugh pointed out. Many have no, or only limited, navigation aids or charts. They have unreliable engines and steering and little by way of safety equipment.

From his research it transpired that many illegal immigrants were attempting to cross into Spain through the Gibraltar straits on board flimsy boats known as Pateras while many fishing boats were being used to cross the centre of the Mediterranean.

Prof. Pugh, who lectures in international relations, suspects that the problem has been exacerbated in recent years because of fears of terrorism and public scares about mass migration which have led to more vigilant coastal patrols. He also fears that this has led to an international climate that discourages captains from stopping to help small boats in distress.

"It's a hidden tragedy because there are few aid organisations at sea to monitor the situation and undertake rescues."

Only last month, 64 African illegal immigrants were feared drowned after their overcrowded boat capsized en route from Tunisia to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

A number of fishermen contacted by The Times this week said it was not the first time they had encountered pieces of wrecked boats floating in the sea. "I can't imagine anyone in a fishing boat surviving a storm like the one last weekend," fisherman Joseph Bugeja said.

Laura Boldrini, from the United Nations Commission for Human Rights, believes that even though it was difficult to make an estimate "far too many" asylum seekers were dying as they tried to make the crossing.

"These tragedies make you reflect on the level of desperation these people have reached to actually decide to make such hazardous voyages."

Ms Boldrini said the horror of the sea crossings was clearly manifested when she recently met one of the Somalis who survived a gruelling journey. "His face had all the marks of the horror he had been through as he was force-fed through a needle injected to his arm.

"He told me he couldn't sleep any more because he kept feeling the weight of the coats that covered him throughout the trip. But then he said: 'In Somalia we risk life every day. Now I feel I can start living.'"

Ms Boldrini said that the EU should intervene without any further delay to mitigate the problem of illegal immigration and in the process reduce the number of deaths at sea.

January - Four persons are found drifting on a dinghy east of Malta. The immigrants say they had started their journey from Turkey and that originally there were "many more persons on board" the dinghy.

April - An estimated 96 people perish in strong winds and three-metre high waves.

June - The army rescues 18 migrants from a boat some 60 miles to the south of the island. But another two boats reportedly carrying more migrants disappear.

July - A boat carrying some 30 illegal immigrants perishes 50 miles to the south of Malta.

August - A total of 100 immigrants rescued but it later becomes known that 26 persons were throw overboard after they succumbed to the gruelling voyage in the seas between Malta and Sicily.

October - Two illegal immigrants die when a boat with another 19 passengers on board capsizes about 70 miles off the Maltese coast.

October - Sixty-four African migrants believed to have drowned after their overcrowded boat capsizes en route from Tunisia to Lampedusa. Eleven are rescued.

November - Ten boat people disappear 12 miles south of Malta.