Italy - IOM reports that 278,327 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 31 August, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy, where 112,097 migrants or refugees have arrived during 2016.

This total is lower than the number recorded through 2015’s first eight months, when a total of 354,618 arrivals were recorded crossing the Mediterranean, the majority from Turkey to Greece.


Mediterranean fatalities among migrants and refugees stood at 3,171 through Wednesday (31/8) – 515 more than IOM reported through the first eight months of 2015.

IOM Rome reported on Thursday 5,636 migrants have been rescued in the Channel of Sicily since IOM’s Tuesday report. Almost 14,000 migrants and refugees were rescued between early Sunday through Wednesday night and more rescues are expected in the coming days.

IOM Rome reports that according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, 112,097 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italian ports this year – a decrease of 3.5 percent compared to the same period in 2015, when arrivals totaled 116,147. Another 2,500 are still en route to Italy on rescue ships.

IOM Athens reported 163,726 arrivals of migrants and refugees in Greece by sea through the end of August. Compared to last year’s arrivals of 234,457 for the first eight months, there is a 30 percent decrease.

For the month of August, IOM Greece reported the arrival of 3,429 migrants and refugees by sea, the highest monthly total since April, when 3,650 arrived.

For the latest Mediterranean update, please visit: https://missingmigrants.iom.int/sites/default/files/Mediterranean_Update_2_September_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:
Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int
Daniel Esdras at IOM Greece, Tel: +30 210 9912174, Email:  iomathens@iom.int
Julia Black at IOM GMDAC in Berlin. Tel: +49 30 278 778 27, Email: jblack@iom.int
Othman Belbeisi at IOM Libya, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int
Joel Millman at IOM HQ in Geneva, Tel. +41.79.103-8720, Email: jmillman@iom.int

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