2016 Egypt migrant shipwreck

On September 21, 2016, a boat designed to carry a maximum of 40 people capsized and sank in the Mediterranean Sea approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) from shore near Rosetta, Egypt. The vessel was severely overcrowded and had an estimated 450 refugees aboard at the time of the incident. Survivors reported that migrants had been confined aboard the boat for 5 days as traffickers brought additional groups of migrants to the boat. Traffickers were attempting to load one final group of migrants when the boat capsized and subsequently sank.

Of the approximately 450 people aboard at the time of the sinking, 204 people were confirmed deceased, and 84 remain missing and are presumed dead. Fewer than 40% of the people on board were rescued. Among the 162 survivors, the majority originated from Egypt, however there were also survivors from Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Irregular migration across the Mediterranean Sea occurs through three principle pathways: Central, Western, or Eastern sea routes. Those involved in the September 21, 2016 incident sought passage via the Central Mediterranean route. This route departs Northern Africa and targets reaching either Italy or Malta. The International Organization for Migrants (IOM) Missing Migrant Project considers this route to be the "deadliest known migrant route in the world" due to protracted periods at sea and the insufficient search and rescue capabilities in many sectors of the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2014, an estimated 25,678 migrants have been reported missing along the Central Mediterranean Sea route. According to data collected by the Missing Migrants Project, the September 21, 2016 capsizing is one of the worst recorded migrant incidents while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. It has the second highest death toll and is only surpassed by the 2015 Libya migrant shipwreck.

This incident occurred in the broader context of the European migrant crisis, a period marked by a dramatic escalation in the movement of people fleeing conflict, instability, and economic hardship across the Middle East and Africa The crisis peaked in 2015, with substantial flows continuing into 2016. The IOM estimated "that 300,450 migrants and refuges had entered Europe by sea in 2016."