The number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, a sea with many busy shipping lanes where international law and centuries of custom oblige ships to assist those in need, is shocking.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 1,500 people died in the Mediterranean in 2011 alone, making it the deadliest year on record. Fortress Europe, an internet blog that tracks deaths of those seeking to reach Europe, puts the number at over 2,000. The real number may be even higher.

08/13/2012 19:35 GMT

by Desiree Martin

LA GOMERA, Spain, Aug 13, 2012 (AFP) - Wildfires drove thousands of people from their homes near a rare nature reserve in Spain's Canary Islands on Monday after a separate mainland blaze killed two, authorities said.

Firefighters struggled to control the flames that engulfed the wooded hillsides on the island of La Gomera, reducing lush green trees to black dust, spewing grey smoke and displacing residents and tourists.