Greece - IOM reports that 164,752 migrants or refugees have entered Europe by sea in 2016, through 27 March, which is a daily average of around 1,885 men, women and children.

But it notes that the daily average fell during the recent Easter holiday weekend, when fewer than 500 migrants or refugees reportedly landing in Greece over the three days. No new landings were reported in Italy or Spain. 

IOM Rome’s Flavio di Giacomo said today (29/3) that 730 people rescued in the channel between Sicily and Libya are due to arrive in Pozzallo today. Another 371 are due to arrive in Augusta on Wednesday.

With three days remaining in March, IOM reports 531 deaths at sea of migrants or refugees bound for Europe in 2016, which is a 9% increase from the 489 deaths reported in 2015 through the first three months of the year.

Adds Mr. Di Giacomo: “We are not registering any increase in the number of Syrians arriving in Italy. Only six Syrians arrived between January and March 2016, and only a handful since then.”

Arrivals by sea and deaths in the Mediterranean
1 January – 29 March 2016

According to IOM Athens, 149,534 migrants have already crossed into Greece through maritime borders since the beginning of the year. Out of those, 67,415 reached Greece in January 2016, 57,066 in February 2016.

Notes Kelly Namia of the IOM Athens office: “It should be emphasized that there was a significant decrease in daily arrivals in March 2016, when 24,727 have reached Greece. The majority of the newly arrived migrants have reached the island of Lesbos, which accounted for 58% of the overall arrivals. Another 23 % arrived in Chios, 6% in Samos and 6% in Leros.”

Based on Hellenic Coast Guard data, 77,392 of the newly arrived migrants are from Syria, 38,116 from Afghanistan, 23,078 from Iraq, 5,085 from Pakistan and 4,369 from Iran.

In addition, the Hellenic Asylum Service announced that 1,469 third country nationals submitted asylum applications in February. These included 271 from Syria, 226 from Pakistan, 131 from Albania, 106 from Iran and 105 from Iraq.

In the period 1 January 2015 - 27 March 2016, IOM calculated 1,003,184 arrivals to Greece by sea.  Just 326 arrived on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (25-27/3) combined.

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 Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int
Or Ivona Zakoska at IOM Skopje, Tel. +389 2 30 88 100, Ext. 133 Email: izakoska@iom.int
Or IOM Geneva, Leonard Doyle, Tel: +41-792857123, Email: ldoyle@iom.intor Joel Millman, Tel: + 41 79 103 87 20, Email: jmillman@iom.int