A/HRC/18/54 during the ordeal at sea or just after being rescued. Hundreds of migrants have not survived the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, with reports suggesting that more than 1,400 migrants may have perished in the crossing since the beginning of 2011 (see table below). Number of migrants on board Date of departure (d) or rescue (r)* Missing/fatalities 250 27 March (r) All rescued, no reported fatalities 330 (estimated) 22 March (d) 330 (estimated) 72 25 March (d) 61 180 26 March (d) All rescued, no reported fatalities 18 (estimated) 29 March (r) 7 Not known 2 April (d) 250 750 6 May (d) 550 220 12 May (d) All rescued, no reported fatalities 850 28 May (d) 270 300 (estimated) 30 July (r) 25 More than 300 4 August (r) 304 rescued, unknown number of fatalities * Date of rescue is indicated where the date of departure of the vessel is unknown. 24. In the most recent incident, Italian ships rescued around 370 refugees on 4 August 2011 from a boat drifting near Lampedusa. Relief organizations say the migrants told of at least 30 people, most of them women, who had died of dehydration and exhaustion during the time that the rickety boat was in the water. Reports noted that the 20-metre vessel had left from near Tripoli on 30 July, vastly overcrowded and lacking water and food. Even as the boat was rescued, according to some reports the vessel had been allowed to drift for days despite having come to the attention of other vessels in the vicinity. 21 25. The non-exhaustive table above indicates the fate of boats carrying migrants seeking to reach Europe from North Africa in recent months.22 26. Concerns have been expressed that vessels operating in the Mediterranean are refusing to rescue migrants in distress at sea. In recent months, United Nations agencies and others have appealed to States to urgently put in place more reliable and effective mechanisms for rescues on the Mediterranean. Ship masters have also been called on to continue to adhere to the long-standing maritime obligation of aiding people in distress. Strong calls have been made to States, commercial shipping companies and others present in the Mediterranean to consider that, in the present circumstances, all boats leaving the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for Europe are likely to require assistance. 21 22 8 Gaia Pianigiani, “NATO crew failed to aid migrant ship, survivors say”, New York Times, 5 August 2011. Reports also claimed that the Italian authorities had called for an inquiry into allegations that NATO air and naval units had been aware of the boat but had failed to come to its aid. Statistics and data mainly sourced from the UNHCR submission for the present report, and from other credible sources.