Over 800,000 migrants and refugees reached Europe after crossing the Mediterranean Sea since the start of the year, revealed IOM (International Organisation for Migration) on Tuesday. This is four times as many as last year at the same date.
More are coming as the weather is good and migrants and refugees are still heading for the Greek islands, added IOM spokesperson in Geneva Joel Millman. Some 17,600 people arrived in Greece between Friday and Sunday.
There were 6,800 arrivals on Friday, 6,340 on Saturday, and 4,528 on Sunday, said Greek authorities according to IOM. Eight bodies were found over the weekend, which brings the total of dead or missing to 3,455 since January.
653,000 migrants and refugees had reached Greece by early November, of which 278,000 were Syrians, 76,600 Afghans, 21,550 Iraqis, and 14,300 Pakistanis, as well as smaller numbers from other countries.
141,700 migrants reached Italy in 10 months (against 154,000 in the same period in 2014). They come mostly from Eritrea (37.800), Nigeria (19.576), Somalia (11.020), Sudan (8.692) and Syria (7.232)
Syrians are now coming through Turkey and the Balkans. 3,845 migrants are registered in Spain and approximately 100 in Malta as well.
(Source: Belga)
