Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals in 2016: 184,887; Deaths 1,357

Greece - IOM reports an estimated 184,887 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea in 2016, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain, through 5 May.

Latest fatalities stand at 1,357. By comparison, deaths in 2015 through the end of April on all Mediterranean routes totalled 1,733, which was 27 percent greater than the 2016 total thus far.

Arrivals through April 30 this year totalled just under 184,000 – which compares with 2015’s total of 48,636 during the same four-month period. In other words, 2015 was relatively much deadlier for migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean, with fatalities occurring at a rate of about one for every 28 arrivals, compared to this year with one for every 136 arrivals.

IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo reports from Rome that on Thursday (5/5) 123 migrants rescued in the Channel of Sicily were brought to the island of Lampedusa, Italy’s closest territory to the North African coast. He said 140 more are arriving today and that, additionally, IOM has also learned that 493 migrants are due to land today (6/5) in Taranto, Apulia, with 697 others due to be brought to Augusta, Sicily on Saturday morning.

Those rescues are not included in Italy’s 2016 total of about 28,700 registered arrivals through 5 May. Once registered, those due to land on Italian shores over the coming days will bring the estimated total of arrivals in Italy so far in 2016 to just over 30,000.

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic please go to:

https://missingmigrants.iom.int/sites/default/files/Mediterranean_Update_6_May_2016_0.pdf

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.int or Joel Millman, Tel: + 41 79 103 87 20, Email: jmillman@iom.int