3 Boats Capsized, 700+ Migrants Missing or Feared Dead in Mediterranean

Migrants crossing the Mediterranean have risked their lives on ill-fated boats. In the past week at least 65 migrants have died and 650 are missing and feared to be dead.

According to the International Organization for Migration's Rome office, there have been more than 2,700 migrants and refugees rescued in the past few days, The IOM's headquarters in Geneva said that recorded deaths on all routes to Europe have been down this year.

On Wednesday, after a boat capsized due to high momentum about 100 people remain missing as until Sunday, said Federico Fossi, spokesman for the United Nations' refugee agency. Five people died in that disaster; more than 560 survived.

On Thursday, another migrant boat capsized and sank. Of the 670 on board, 15 people died, about 104 survived and roughly 550 remain missing, Fossi said.

Despite of that on Friday, another migrant boat started sinking in water, however it's not clear how many people were on board, but at least 45 people died.

Mostly migrants were from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan, said Fossi.

Many Somalians are trying to escape Al-Shabaab and clan warfare; Eritreans want to flee repression or military service. And in Sudan, pockets of fighting will likely continue in parts of Darfur through next year, displacing many refugees, the U.N. refugee agency predicts.

At least 1,475 migrants have died so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

More than 12,000 migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean in the past week, said the Italian Navy, Coast Guard and Interior Ministry.

International Organization for Migration reports the number of migrants:

194,611: Migrants who have arrived in Europe so far this year*

156,157: Migrants who arrived in Greece in 2016

37,363: Migrants who arrived in Italy in 2016

1,475: Migrants who died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year

*As of May 25, 2016