In 2022, almost 250,000 migrants crossed the treacherous Darien.

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Nearly 250,000 migrants crossed the treacherous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama in 2022 on their way north, a figure that was nearly double the number from a year earlier, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday.

At least 36 migrants died during the journey, but the United Nations’ migration agency said the real number is likely higher because some of those who perish in the deep jungle are never recovered.

In 2021, at least 133,000 migrants — mostly Haitian — crossed the Darien, according to Panama’s data. With more than 150,000 crossings, Venezuelans led the flow last year. Panamanian authorities claim they don’t yet have data on crossings in the first two weeks January.

“The stories we have heard from those who have crossed the Darien Gap attest to the horrors of this journey,” said Giuseppe Loprete, chief of mission at the IOM in Panama. “Many have lost their lives or gone missing, while others come out of it with significant health issues, both physical and mental, to which we and our partners are responding.”

This unprecedented number comes as the United States government is trying to make the journey more appealing. The administration of President Joe Biden agreed in October to allow up to 24,000 Venezuelan migrants to fly to the United States if they had pre-registered on a government website. However, those who illegally cross the border will be sent back to Mexico.