Mediterranean migrant arrivals in Europe approaching 50,000 mark: IOM
Xinhua, May 9, 2017 Adjust font size:
Some 49,310 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean sea to reach Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Tuesday.
According to the Geneva-based organisation's latest figures, 41,196 individuals have landed in Italy, with the remaining arriving in Greece (5,555), Spain (2,426) and Cyprus (133).
While the number of migrant arrivals by sea in Europe this year is far lower than that recorded over the same period in 2016 (almost 190,000 arrivals), this year remains particularly deadly.
A total of 1,309 men, women and children have lost their lives so far this year, mainly on the Central Mediterranean route linking North Africa with Italy, where 1,222 people have drowned since January.
A further 87 deaths have been documented on eastern and western Mediterranean passages.
The death toll is just below the 1,380 fatalities recorded last year over the same period. Endit