Somalia: UNHCR Calls for Legal Alternatives to Dangerous Sea Journeys

The UN's refugee agency today said that it is deeply saddened at a rising death toll from boat accidents in the Mediterranean Sea as increasing numbers of asylum-seekers and refugees make the journey on unseaworthy boats, often at the hands of ruthless smugglers.

While welcoming the rescue operations in recent hours which rescued hundreds, UNHCR urged governments around the world to "provide legal alternatives to dangerous sea journeys, ensuring desperate people in need of refuge can seek and find protection and asylum."

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