UN reports highest Mediterranean death toll in Q1 2023 since 2017.

The first quarter of 2023 has been the deadliest for migrants crossing the Mediterranean since 2017, with at least 441 deaths estimated by the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM). Delays and gaps in state-led search and rescue operations have been costing lives, with Libya's Coast Guard reportedly firing shots towards humanitarian vessels to stop them from rescuing ships in distress. The IOM has called for proactive coordination of states in search and rescue efforts to reduce the loss of life along migration routes.