Nearly 8,000 people died or disappeared on migration routes last year, with sea routes to ​Europe the most deadly and many victims lost ‌in “invisible shipwrecks”, a UN agency said on Tuesday.

“These figures bear witness to our collective failure to prevent these tragedies,” ​Maria Moita, who directs the International Organisation for ​Migration’s humanitarian and response department, told a Geneva ⁠press briefing.

Though the 7,904 people dead or missing ​were down from an all-time high of 9,197 in ​2024, the IOM said that was partly due to 1,500 suspected cases that went unverified due to aid cuts.

More than four ​in every 10 fatalities and disappearances came on ​sea routes to Europe. Many cases were so-called “invisible shipwrecks” where entire ‌boats ⁠are lost at sea and never found, the IOM said in a chilling new report.

The West African route northwards accounted for 1,200 deaths, while Asia reported ​a record number ​of fatalities, ⁠including hundreds of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar or misery in crowded refugee ​camps in Bangladesh.

“Routes are shifting in response ​to conflict, ⁠climate pressures and policy changes, but the risks are still very real,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope ⁠in ​a statement. “Behind these numbers are ​people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may ​never come.“