AP
Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016.
Europe's migrant crisis is getting worse. The wave of poverty, political strife, civil wars, and religious persecution in countries in Africa and the Middle East has driven thousands of civilians to seek refuge in Europe.
While the largest number of migrants traveling by boat hail from war-torn Syria, migrants from Eritrea form the second largest group, according to numbers compiled by The Economist. Eritrea's government is reputed to be a repressive regime "where individuals are routinely arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured, disappeared or extrajudicially executed," according to UN Human Rights Council report.
Libya is also seeing a flurry of people leaving its shores as the country faces its own political crisis.
On Monday, thousands of migrants - mostly from Eritrea - were rescued at sea, just 13 miles away from Libya. These photos show just how dangerous the journey across the Mediterranean is for those who attempt to cross it.