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Greece Records Highest Weekly Migration Inflows in 2015 So Far

Greece - This week IOM Greece recorded the highest migration inflows since the beginning of 2015. Despite deteriorating weather conditions, approximately 48,000 refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands – or about 9,600  migrants and refugees in each of the past five days. 

The math is as follows: 9,113 new arrivals entered October 17th,9,237 on October 18th, 8,617 on October 19th,10,994 on October 20th and
10,024 on October 21st.

The influx has left many local authorities unprepared. The island of Lesvos continues to receive the highest percentage of refugees and migrants. Some 27,276 reached the island during the period, while 9,750 arrived in Chios.

Chios, which was only receiving some 300 migrants a day during the peak summer period, last week saw numbers rise to some 2,000 a day.

With the growing number of arrivals, there have also been a growing number of deaths at sea, according to IOM Greece staff.

Since Monday (19/10), 18 migrants are believed to have lost their lives in two incidents – one on October 19th off the coast of Megisti, the other on October 21st off the coast of Samos.

In the shipwreck off Samos, the Hellenic Coast Guard rescued a 32-year-old Syrian, but 14 others, including his wife, two children and other relatives are missing, believed drowned.

Meanwhile in Italy, so far in the month of October a total of 7,447 migrants have been rescued at sea in the Channel of Sicily.  No deaths have been recorded since eight bodies (seven women; one man) were shipped on Monday into Taranto, brought by the Spanish ship Rio Segura, which carried another 633 survivors. Authorities discovered the eight victims in a rubber dinghy carrying 113 migrants. Their cause of death remains unknown.

 

Mediterranean Developments
Arrivals by sea and deaths in the Mediterranean: 1 January – 22 October, 2015

Country of Arrival

Arrivals

Deaths

Italy

139,518 (IOM est.)

2,811
(Central Med route)

Malta

105

Greece

537.460*

335
(Eastern Med route)

Spain

3,845

29 
(Western Med and Western African routes)

Estimated Total

680,928

3,175

All numbers are minimum estimates. Arrivals estimates based on data from respective governments and IOM field offices.

 

*Data for Greece are derived by the new and updated data collected by IOM Regional Staff in Greece and Greek authorities (1/1/2015 – 20/10/2015). Numbers are not the actual daily arrivals but the number of migrants who have officially been recorded by the Greek authorities after their arrival.

2015 Totals: 139,518 (IOM est.)
                                                                                 

  • September 2015 Total (Data provided by Italian MoI): 15,922
  • October 2015 Total (IOM est. as of 22/10): 7,447

 

 2014 Totals: 170,100 arrived in Italy

 

Arrivals by sea to Italy
January to September 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

TOTAL

138,796

132,071

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

 

Main Countries of Origin

2014

2015

 

Eritrea

32,537

35,938

 

Nigeria

6,951

17,886

 

Somalia

4,113

10,050

 

Sudan

2,370

8,370

 

Syria

32,681

7,072

 

Gambia

6,179

6,315

 

Bangladesh

3,925

5,037

 

Tot. All Countries of Origin

138,796

132,071

 

 

For latest data on arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean please visit http://missingmigrants.iom.int

 For further information, please contact:

Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996 Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int
or Daniel Esdras at IOM Greece, Tel: +30 210 9912174 Email: iomathens@iom.int
or Kelly Namia, Tel: +302109919040, +302109912174, Email: knamia@iom.int
or Emrah Guler at IOM Turkey, Tel: +903124541138, Email: eguler@iom.int
or Othman Belbeisi at IOM Libya, Tel + 216 29 600 389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int