Nearly 9,000 migrants died while trying to cross borders last year: UN

The rise of deaths is terrible in and of itself, but the fact that thousands remained unidentified each year is even more tragic,

Julia Black, coordinator of the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, said in the statement

The actual number of migrant deaths and disappearances is likely much higher, as many have gone undocumented because of the dearth of official sources,

the IOM said

At least 8,938 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2024,

the fifth year that numbers have reached record highs ... the U.N.'s migration agency said

The tragedy of the growing number of migrant deaths worldwide is both unacceptable and preventable,

Ugochi Daniels, the deputy director of the IOM said

Behind every number is a human being, someone for whom the loss is devastating,

he added

The increase in deaths across so many regions in the world shows why we need an international, holistic response that can prevent further tragic loss of life,

International Organization for Migration Deputy Director General for Operations Ugochi Daniels said in a statement