Tragedy in the Mediterranean Does Not Stop

A boat of refugees has been founded in front of the Greek island of Mykono. As a result, three people lost their lives and at least twelve others are considered missing, as Greek coastal bodyguards announced. According to this information in the Aegean Sea, the bodies of two women and a drowning man were found. Two other men a Syrian and a Palestinian have been saved. According to data from the two survivors on the boat, there had been about 17 people.

Helicopters and coast bodyguard ships, as well as sailing ships around this area, are continuing the search action, the coast bodyguard said. Migrants must have set sail to the West on Thursday (25.08.23) off the Turkish coast of the Aegean.

Tragedy follows in Mediterranean

A damaged boat overloaded with people in the Mediterranean. Such images have become common in the last decade while the list of tragic mass drownings continues to rise. When hundreds of thousands of people desperately try to pass through Europe illegally each year, they rely on immigrant smugglers.

It's all about money, it's about a lot of money. Each immigrant who targets Western countries pays for the realization of a dream for a better life. smugglers charge people for thousands of euros to realise that goal. Shiping means more profits.

Why so many people on old boats? What do these smugglers do, and why?

Using old boats lowers costs. Revenues from a single journey can reach millions. Many who do dirty smuggling work are immigrants themselves. But most of the money ends up in international criminal gangs. How much money? It can't be said exactly, but European police agencies value revenues from smuggling 3 billion to 6 billion euros annually. This is based on tens of thousands of people who pay an average of 2,500 euros per person. Some pay up to 7,000 euros each.

Passing is just part of the puzzle. smugglers offer a series of illegal services before and after travel all at extremely high prices. Rarely caught are passengers taking the risk.

For many immigrants, travel can begin with false documents. Next follows a difficult passage into the wilderness. By the time people arrive at the next stage, they are often out of money. Criminals exploit them as they try to save money to continue their journey.

The smuggling is profitable just because it's illegal

Some emigrants who cross, or who take the land route through Turkey and Southeast Europe, get into trucks without ventilation. They risk losing oxygen as smugglers cross borders. Many countries in the region have placed fences and patrolled their borders to keep out immigrants.

People who cross smugglers have no legal opportunity to emigrate, if they do, they could take a flight for several hundred euros, which lasts only a few hours. Instead, they pay thousands for a week - long trip that costs many people their lives too. / DW