The Italian navy said on Saturday that at least 40 migrants drowned after their boat sank en route to Europe across the Mediterranean.

« Operation underway… many migrants saved. At least 40 dead, » the Italian navy said in a post on Twitter.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that at least 2,300 people have died over the past eight months while trying to make the perilous crossing into Europe.

The Geneva-based organization says at the current rate of rescues – over 1,000 migrants a day – nearly 250,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe so far this year  (…)