1,600 migrants dead or missing in attempt to reach Europe, UNHCR report claims

More than 1,600 people have died or gone missing attempting to reach Europe so far this year, according to a new report.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed that one person died or went missing on their journey to Europe for every 18 who arrived safely - up from one in 42 last year.

The report, titled Desperate Journeys, said government attempts to stop migrants reaching Europe or attempting to cross the Mediterranean had "led to fewer arrivals in Italy, but a far higher death rate".

It is likely that the number of migrants killed is much higher than the UNHCR estimate, as many die on the journey to Libya on a route that passes through the Sahara desert.

Arrivals in Italy decreased by 81% in the first seven months of the year, and the total entries on the continent dropped by 41%.

A rise in support for the far-right has seen increased opposition towards migrants in parts of Europe, with Italy refusing to allow NGO boats which had been rescuing people from capsized vessels in the Mediterranean to dock.

"People are being forced to travel in flimsy crafts, and travel further, with less chance of being picked up. That increases the danger of capsizing," UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said.

He added: "It's heightened risk taking".

He also said migrants have been deterred by an EU-sponsored scheme that has seen the Libyan coastguard intercept migrants and return them to detention in Libya.

Libyan authorities intercepted 18,400 people on boats in the Mediterranean in the year up to last July, putting the "rescued" migrants in detention centres where torture, killings and slave labour is common.

Ibrahim Younis, head of mission at Medicins san Frontiers, told Sky News the "vast majority" of migrants now in detention centres had attempted to cross the Mediterranean and been returned by the coastguard.

"The narrative promoted by some in Europe that Libya is a safe place to return migrants and refugees rescued at sea is simply not true," he said.

"Returns have led to a further deterioration in the already poor and overcrowded living conditions in Tripoli's detention centres, where limited access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare has increased physical and mental health consequences."

It is now feared refugees in Libya could be in further danger, as a surge in fighting between armed groups in Tripoli has prompted a state of emergency and the UNHCR to consider suspending operations in Libya.