article_snippet.sent: Why migrants are dying to get to Italy .
article_snippet.sent: Europe or I die': Desperate migrants rescued this week off Italy .
article_snippet.sent: Thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from North Africa to Europe's Mediterranean coast, often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip.
article_snippet.sent: Many of Thousands of people attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
article_snippet.sent: Many die each year while attempting the voyage, often when boats capsized.
article_snippet.sent: Last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip.
article_snippet.sent: Since 2000, according to the International Organization for Migration, almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the Mediterranean.
article_snippet.sent: the International Organization for Migration reported Thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey.
article_snippet.sent: Only four people survived from the original 45 on board, bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand.