The latest figures show 10,000 people have died in the attempt in the past two-and-half years.
The European Commission plans to link development aid to African countries with their measures to curb the numbers.
While the number of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees arriving in Europe is actually down, the grim reality is that MORE people are dying in their attempts to get there.
The United Nations Refugee Agency spokesman, Adrian Edwards, says in the first five months of this year, the casualty rate is already up by 1,000 on 2015 - the deadliest year on record.
"We have had 2,804 deaths so far this year by the numbers we have - remember that last year it was 3,771 for the whole year. You've now had since the start for 2014, when this phenomenon of rising numbers across the Mediterranean happened, 10,000 deaths. That threshold has been crossed just in the last few days, which is extremely disturbing."
In a briefing to the UN, International Organisation for Migration spokesman Joel Millmann has attributed the higher death toll to more reckless people-smuggling across the sea.
And, he says, there's yet another worrying trend.
"We are very concerned about the increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and the substantial increases in the number of minors coming from Gambia, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Guinea, which together accounted for 3,274 unaccompanied minors, nearly half the total, whereas last year, during this period, fewer than 500 minors originated from these same countries. So we are talking about almost a seven-times increase."
With people-smugglers becoming more active in recent weeks on the dangerous Mediterranean routes from North Africa to Italy, the European Commission has proposed a deal to African countres: limit migrant numbers in exchange for a boost in development aid money from the EU.
Commission vice-president Frans Timmerman says the smugglers have found a new, and even more deadly, business model.
"We cannot tolerate this, the loss of human life at this scale, and we must do everything we can to stop it. We propose to use a mix of positive and negative incentives to reward those third countries willing to cooperate effectively with us, and to ensure that there are consequences for those who do not. The Africa Trust Fund will immediately be strengthened with 500 million euros from the reserve of the European Development Fund. We are calling member states to match this to reach one billion. This could be done now, not waiting for the next boat to capsize."
EU High Representative Frederica Mogherini has called for global cooperation to tackle the migrant dilemma.
"We need to move from the narrative we've had so far, that the refugee and migration crisis is a European crisis, to the recognition that this is not only an issue for Europe. The majority of the movements of people in the world are happening inside Africa, inside Asia, not only towards Europe."
And the stories of human tragedy continue to be told....
This Syrian mother and her husband lost their son when the metal fishing boat they were aboard capsized on its way from Libya to Italy while packed with hundreds of migrants.
The enemy is behind you and the sea before you. Where is the escape? Mohammed Jaqili's father asks.
The sea is your only escape, he says.
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