Libyan migrant route to EU ‘busier than ever’

When more than 800 people drowned this day last year on an overcrowded ship bound for Italy’s southern isle of Lampedusa, the EU deployed a round-the-clock flotilla that saved thousands of lives on what remains one of the world’s most perilous journeys.

But one year after Europe’s deadliest migrant disaster, humanitarian and security efforts off the lawless coast of Libya face a growing challenge to catch smugglers and bring asylum-seekers to safety.

Experts say crackdowns on migration at other EU borders mean that the southern Mediterranean crossing plied daily by smugglers operating out of Libya already is busier now than it was 12 months ago.