GENEVA – The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday in Geneva confirmed the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants in Europe in 2015.
The organisation had earlier predicted that the influx through June 8 would continue as seasonally calm weather in the Mediterranean would encourage human smugglers to make the crossing.
Joel Millman, IOM Spokesman, said the rescue operations carried out by the international flotilla would be a prelude to what was expected to be a surge of migrant crossings in the months ahead.
He said more than 1,800 people lost their lives trying to reach Europe this year after fleeing conflicts or poverty.
Millman said the IOM data showed that from January to date, more than 54,700 migrants disembarked in Italy.
He said Greece saw a significant increase in arrivals in the first half of 2015, 46,200 migrants, as compared with 34,000 for the entirety of 2014.
Millman said according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, many of those who make the dangerous crossing are refugees.
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He added that many of those arriving in Italy and Greece are people who left conflict-torn Syria, the totalitarian east African country of Eritrea and Afghanistan. (dpa/NAN)
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