UNHCR: 3,740 refugees and migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea

Baku. 26 October. REPORT.AZ/ At least 3,740 refugees and migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, nearly matching the death toll for all of last year when three times as many people took to the seas. 

Report informs, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said in Geneva. 

UNHCR spokesman William Spindler voiced alarm at the high death toll among the 327,800 people crossing this year, against 3,771 who died among more than one million last year. He said the death rate is by far the worst seen in the Mediterranean.

The higher fatality rate may be due to a range of causes, from smugglers taking more dangerous routes to using flimsier vessels. Bad weather has also played a role in some deaths.