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Mediterranean Migrants and Refugees: Latest Arrivals and Fatalities

Greece - The first group of asylum applicants from Greece was assisted by IOM to leave for Luxembourg Wednesday morning. This first relocation group consisted of six families - two from Iraq and four from Syria.

The Hellenic Asylum Service, in close cooperation with IOM Greece and IOM Brussels, organized the transport of the 30 asylum seekers from Greece to Luxembourg as part of a pilot under a two-year European Union (EU)-funded relocation scheme.
Staff from the Asylum Service and IOM Greece were on hand at the Elaionas reception facility in Athens to assist the group. They escorted the group to Athens International Airport on buses supplied by the Hellenic Police. 

At 08.30 a.m. the group departed on an Aegean Airlines flights to Brussels, accompanied by an IOM Athens staffer. On arrival in Brussels, IOM Brussels staff accompanied them to Luxembourg by bus. The day before their departure, IOM Greece met with the group to explain the details of their journey and what they could expect in Luxembourg.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, Greek Alternate Minister of Migration Policy  Ioannis Mouzalas and European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Avramopoulos Dimitris were in Athens to witness the operation and met the group.

Mediterranean Developments

Arrivals by sea and deaths in the Mediterranean: 1 January – 5 November, 2015

Country of Arrival

Arrivals

Deaths

Italy

141,501 (IOM est.)

2,860

(Central Med route)

Malta

106

Greece

627,527

494

(Eastern Med route)

Spain

3,845

69 

(Western Med and Western African routes)

Estimated Total

772,979

3,423

                       

Data on deaths of migrants compiled by IOM Research Division. All numbers are minimum estimates. Arrivals estimates based on data from respective governments and IOM field offices.

Data on deaths on the Eastern Mediterranean route are estimates based on confirmed number of victims of Friday’s shipwreck.  Data for Greece are derived by the new and updated data collected by IOM staff in Greece and Greek authorities (1/1/2015 – 04/11/2015).

Arrivals BY SEA TO Italy

1 January – 5 November 2015

141,501 *

Data for Italy as of 30 October are based on the information circulated by the Italian Minitstry of Interior (MoI). Arrivals from 1 November onwards are IOM estimates.

  • One landing took place since our last report. Some 514 migrants were brought this morning to Lampedusa.
  • September 2015: Total 15,922 (Source: Italian MoI)
  • October 2015: Total 8,916 (Source: Italian MoI).
  • Main countries of origin: Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Bangladesh, Ghana.
  • Main departure country: Libya  (few departures from Egypt, Greece, and Turkey)
  • 2014 Totals: 170,100 arrived in Italy.

 

Arrivals by sea to Italy
January to October 2014/2015
(source: Italian MoI)

 

2014

2015

January

2,171

3,528

February

3,335

4,354

March

5,459

2,283

April

15,679

16,063

May

14,599

21,221

June

22,641

22,905

July

24,031

23,186

August

24,774

22,607

September

26,107

15,922

October

15,393

8,916

TOTAL

154,189

140,987

 

 

 

Arrivals by sea to Italy - Main Countries of Origin
January – October 2014/2015
(source: Italian MoI)

 

Main Countries of Origin

2014

2015

 

Eritrea

32,537

37,796

 

Nigeria

6,951

19,576

 

Somalia

4,113

11,020

 

Sudan

2,370

8,692

 

Syria

32,681

7,232

 

Gambia

6,179

6,759

 

Tot. All Countries of Origin

154,189

140,987

 

 

Arrivals BY SEA TO GREECE

 

1 January – 4 November 2015

627,527*

* Unofficial data regarding exclusively the so-called “blue” borders, as derived by the data collected by IOM staff in Greece and the Greek authorities (1/1/2015-04/11/2015).
                                             

  • 6,379 arrivals were registered on 4 November. (Numbers are not the actual daily arrivals but the number of migrants who have officially been recorded by the Greek authorities after their arrival. This procedure may take a few days.)
  • Main countries of origin: Syria and Afghanistan.
  • Main departure country: Turkey
  • Main landing points: Lesvos, Kos, Samos, Rhodes, Kalymnos, Megisti, Leros and Chios.
  • IOM staff is present in the islands of Crete, Samos, Kos and Lesvos, working closely with authorities to identify vulnerable migrants, including unaccompanied minors, elderly migrants, migrants with medical needs and families with children. Vulnerable groups are referred to the authorities in order to be provided with the necessary care.
  • 2014 Totals: 34,442 arrived by sea in Greece between 1 January and 31 December 2014.
  • September 2015 total: 147,671
  • October 2015 total: 214,781

 

Arrivals by sea to GREECE JanUARY  –  SEPTEMBER 2015

Main Countries of Origin

Tot.

Syria

277,899

Afghanistan

76,620

Iraq

21,552

Pakistan

14,323

Total All Countries of Origin

393,532

 

Arrivals by sea to GREECE January - SEPTEMBER 2014/2015

2014

2015

Differential

32,149

393,532

+ 1,124%

For further information, please contact Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.intor IOM Greece. Daniel Esdras, Tel: +30 210 9912174, Email: iomathens@iom.int or
Kelly Namia, Tel: +302109919040, +302109912174, Email: Knamia@iom.int or Ryan Schroeder at IOM RO Europe, Tel:  +32 2 287 71 16, Email: rschroeder@iom.int