Migrant death toll in Mediterranean tops 1,000

At least 1,000 people have died or are missing and presumed dead following a string of deadly incidents in the Mediterranean Sea over the last week, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said.

The updated IOM tally was drawn from the accounts of survivors who were saved at sea or landed in Italy in recent days.

Figures from aid groups and Italian police had on Sunday counted at least 700 deaths from three shipwrecks over three consecutive days, but IOM pointed to other smaller incidents, as well as more precise figures following interviews with survivors.