The land routes taken by migrants through Sub-Saharan Africa and the sea crossing points in Libya and Tunisia are also extremely dangerous due to wars and local conflicts. Those who survive the perilous sea crossing often face harassment by a web of agencies in European countries

The number of dead is expected to rise as rescue operations are still ongoing. The ship had an estimated 500 to 700 migrants, mostly from West Asian and Northern Africa countries

Dozens are still missing after a boat believed to be carrying up to 200 asylum seekers sank near the region of Calabria on February 26. As the death toll rose on Monday, NGOs slammed Europe’s harsh anti-asylum policies for endangering people who were already vulnerable