Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 319,711; Deaths at Sea: 3,654

Switzerland - IOM reports that 319,711 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 19 October, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy. Some 168,857 people have arrived in Greece and 145,381 in Italy during 2016. The total is well below the number of arrivals at this point in 2015, when over 650,000 migrants and refugees had made the journey.

Mediterranean Developments

Some 3,654 people have died trying to make the crossing in 2016. These include five bodies recovered on Wednesday, when an Irish navy ship encountered a rubber boat and rescued 118 survivors off Libya.

By comparison, deaths through 21 October 2015 stood at 3,138 – 2,822 of them on the Central Mediterranean route between North Africa and Italy.

Meanwhile, IOM continues to support the European Union (EU)-backed scheme to relocate migrants and refugees from Greece and Italy to other EU member states continues.

To date, 6,243 individuals have been relocated. Of these, 4,852 have left Greece (153 to Belgium, 21 to Bulgaria, 10 to Croatia, 42 to Cyprus, 12 to the Czech Republic, 57 to Estonia, 430 to Finland, 1,762 to France, 196 to Germany, 69 to Ireland, 95 to Latvia, 147 to Lithuania, 104 to Luxembourg, 24 to Malta, 629 to the Netherlands, 410 to Portugal, 284 to Romania, 3 to Slovakia, 60 to Slovenia and 344 to Spain).

Another 1,391 have left Italy (29 to Belgium, 9 to Croatia, 10 to Cyprus, 322 to Finland, 231 to France, 20 to Germany, 8 to Latvia, 40 to Luxembourg, 46 to Malta, 226 to the Netherlands, 183 to Portugal, 43 to Romania, 23 to Slovenia, 50 to Spain, 39 to Sweden and 112 to Switzerland).

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic: 
http://migration.iom.int/docs/Mediterranean_Update_21_October_2016.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:
Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int 
IOM Greece: Daniel Esdras, Tel: +30 210 9912174, Email:  iomathens@iom.int or Kelly Namia, Tel: +30 210 9919040, +30 210 9912174, Email: knamia@iom.int 
Julia Black at IOM GMDAC, Tel: +49 30 278 778 27, Email: jblack@iom.int
Mazen Aboulhosn at IOM Turkey, Tel: +903 12 455 1202, Email: aboulhosn@iom.int
Joel Millman at IOM Geneva, Tel: +41 79 103 8720, Email: jmillman@iom.int
IOM Libya: Othman Belbeisi, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int  or Ashraf Hassan, Tel: +216297 94707, Email: ashassan@iom.int
Christine Beshay, IOM Egypt. Tel: + 20 2 273 651 40/1 Email: cbeshay@iom.int

For information or interview requests in French:
Florence Kim, OIM Genève, Tel: +41 79 103 03 42, Email: fkim@iom.int
Flavio Di Giacomo, OIM Italie, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int