More than 500 people are believed to have died in two shipwrecks off southern Italy last month.
He survived two shipwrecks: one off the remote Chatham Islands, south-east of New Zealand, the other off Stewart Island, just below the South Island.
The United Nations said on Thursday that at least 239 migrants were believed to have died in two shipwrecks off Libya in recent days.
Like in November, when a northeaster scoured the East End beaches and uncovered the remains of two shipwrecks on the beach at Shagwong Point in Montauk.
"They report two shipwrecks, both not far from the Libyan shore, and they report the boats were in a very bad condition.
Rescuers are searching in the waters near Malta after reports this week that more than 750 people may have died in two shipwrecks in recent days.
The bodies were recovered by Cantabria, which works as part of the EU's Sophia anti-trafficking operation, from two shipwrecks – 23 from one and three from the other.
The research behind Fatal Journeys, which runs to more than 200 pages, began with the October 2013 tragedy when more than 400 migrants died in two shipwrecks near the Italian island of Lampedusa.
So far this year, at least 1,360 people have been reported dead or missing after trying to cross the Mediterranean, including the latest two shipwrecks, while more than 182,800 have reached European shores.
