Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals in 2016: 178,882; Deaths 737

Greece - IOM reports that an estimated 178,882 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea in 2016, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain, through April 17. Latest confirmed fatalities stand at 737. Reports Monday of several hundred deaths of migrants from the Horn of Africa have yet to be confirmed by IOM monitors in the region.

On Friday, April 15, IOM reported some 177,207 migrants and refugees had arrived in Europe via Mediterranean Sea routes, and deaths of 732 men, women and children in 2016.

*As of 29 February 2016

IOM estimates that some 24,581 migrants arrived in Italy by sea between 1 January and 17 April 2016. Of these, 6,200 arrived during the first two weeks of April.

According to data provided by the Italian Ministry of Interior, 16,065 migrants arrived in first half of April 2015. For the entire month of April last year, 26,228 arrived in Italy.

On Sunday (17/4) 464 migrants were rescued at sea and brought to the Sicilian port of Augusta. They included two people with gunshot wounds. According to initial reports, the smugglers shot them in Libya, for unknown reasons, before their departure.

Yesterday (18/4) 108 migrants were rescued by the "SOS Mediterranée" ship Aquarius. According to the migrants, six people died during the crossing. The survivors arrived yesterday in Lampedusa.

Also yesterday, another group of 214 migrants was rescued at sea and brought to Pozzallo. Their boat departed from Egypt and passengers included Ethiopians, Somalis, Sudanese, Eritreans, Egyptians and other nationalities.

Some 90 percent of migrants arriving in Italy come from Libya. The remaining 10 percent leave from Egypt.

Greece has seen a decline in the number of migrant and refugee arrivals this month. In 2016, IOM Athens reports arrivals of 153,625 migrants and refugees. A total of 1,007,359 migrants and refugees arrived in Greece during the period January 1, 2015 through Sunday, 17 April 2016.

IOM Athens reports today that unofficial data for arrivals in Greece by sea for April thus far in 2016 now stand at 2,257. Of those, 1,319 arrived on the island of Lesbos and 336 on Samos. Based on the latest information, over 54,000 migrants and refugees are currently stranded in Greece and being housed in  newly established facilities in Attica and Northern Greece.

Through the first 100 days of this year, arrivals in Greece by sea averaged close to 1,500 migrants or refugees daily. In the past ten days, arrivals have dropped to an average of fewer than 70 per day (see chart below.)

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic please go to:
http://missingmigrants.iom.int/mediterranean-update-19-april-2016

For latest arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean, please visit: http://migration.iom.int/europe 
Learn more about Missing Migrants Project at: http://missingmigrants.iom.int

For further information please contact IOM Greece. Daniel Esdras, Tel: +30 210 9912174, Email:  iomathens@iom.int or Kelly Namia, Tel: +302109919040, +302109912174, Email: knamia@iom.int
Or Abby Dwommoh at IOM Turkey, Tel: +903124551202, Email: adwommoh@iom.int.
Or Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int
Or IOM Geneva, Leonard Doyle, Tel: +41-792857123, Email: ldoyle@iom.intor Joel Millman, Tel: + 41 79 103 87 20, Email: jmillman@iom.int