More than 1,000 migrants, refugees die at sea in first 10 months, says International Organization for Migration
A total of 82,978 irregular migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in the first 10 months of 2019, the UN migration agency said on Friday.
According to a report issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 1,080 other irregular migrants and refugees lost their lives while making treacherous journey to Europe through Mediterranean sea.
During the same period last year, nearly 97,765 refugees and migrants were able to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, while 1,971 others drowned at the sea.
This year, 45,105 irregular migrants and refugees arrived in Greece -- more than half of total arrivals.
On the Eastern Mediterranean route, the number of deaths reportedly reached 70 in 2019.
On the western route, Spain received 20,036 irregular migrants and refugees.
The number of deaths reported on the Western Mediterranean route was at 318, compared to 549 in 2018.
According to the IOM report, some 9,432 migrants entered Italy so far this year. Some 21,935 migrants entered the country during the same period in 2018.
Malta received over 2,911 refugees and migrants this year, spiking from the same period last year which saw 989 arrivals.
Deaths in the Central Mediterranean route decreased to 692 in 2019, compared to 1,267 in the same period last year.
The IOM stated that at least 18,999 people have lost their lives in Mediterranean crossings since 2014.
