Geneva - More than 110 000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece and Italy already this year, a sharp increase on 2015, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
They include around at least 102 500 landing on Greek islands including Samos, Kos and Lesbos, and 7 500 in Italy, the IOM said in a statement.
“Over 410 migrants and refugees have also lost their lives during the same period, with the eastern Mediterranean route between Turkey and Greece continuing to be the deadliest, accounting for 321 deaths,” the IOM said.
Last year, the figure of 100 000 refugees and migrants was not reached until the end of June, according to IOM figures.
IOM spokesman Itayi Viriri noted that the figure of 100 000 had already been exceeded this year despite rough sea conditions in recent days on the route from Libya to Italy.
Migrants arriving in Italy are often in “very bad condition, having been subjected to violence by smugglers in Libya”, the IOM said, adding that women were subjected to human trafficking.
Reuters