It is appalling to find that the death rate among African refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean to southern Europe is rising sharply even though the total number setting out on the perilous journey has actually dropped significantly.
Almost 400 tragic victims have drowned there over the last three days, with the International Organisation for Migrants reporting that the overall level of fatalities in November is already six times worse than the same month last year and approaching 5,000 so far during 2016.
The Irish naval ship LE Samuel Beckett is playing an important role, having rescued over 2,300 people, mainly from overcrowded rubber rafts, since it was deployed to the region on September 23.
However, the international community is going to have to respond in a much more coordinated and determined way if the present catastrophic trends are finally to be brought under control.
