4,500 migrants have died or disappeared crossing the Mediterranean this year

About 4,500 migrants have died or disappeared while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe in 2016. This marks a record number of asylum-seeker casualties, easily outpacing last year's total of about 3,770.

Death tolls are expected to rise toward year's end as winter weather makes the crossing more difficult. Four new shipwrecks this week alone added an estimated 340 new deaths to 2016's total. Significantly contributing to the high casualty figures is the callous attitude of many smugglers, whom migrants pay for Mediterranean transport. "What is shocking is the cruelty," said Flavio Di Giacomo of the International Organization for Migration. "The traffickers are forcing people to depart despite the prohibitive sea conditions."

The increasing death toll also corresponds to an overall increase in the number of migrants seeking Europe's comparative safety. Almost 160,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year, a 13 percent increase over 2015's arrivals.

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