News
Global
11 October 2016

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 316,331; Deaths at Sea: 3,611

Italy - IOM reports that 316,331 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 9 October, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy. Some 167,972 people have arrived in Greece and 144,527 in Italy during 2016. The total is well below the number of arrivals at this point in 2015, when over 520,000 migrants and refugees had made the journey.

However, the death toll in 2016 is higher. This year some 3,611 people have drowned or been reported missing in incidents off Egypt, Libya, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Morocco and Spain. In 2015 at this time, the total was 3,039. For the whole of 2015, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project calculated 3,673 people were confirmed dead or missing. 

IOM Rome reported Monday just over 1,800 migrants have been rescued in the Channel of Sicily and brought to land since IOM’s last report. According to most up-to-date Italian Ministry of Interior (MoI) data, 144,527 migrants have arrived by sea to Italy this year, which is an increase of nearly 6 percent from last year in the same period, when arrivals were 136,373.

According to the MoI, as of 9 October around 160,900 migrants and refugees were hosted in formal reception centres in Italy.

 

Mediterranean Developments

Total arrivals by sea and deaths in the Mediterranean 2015-2016

 

1 January – 9 October 2016

1 January – 30 September 2015

Country of Arrival

Arrivals

Deaths

Arrivals

Deaths

Italy

144,527

3,134 (Central Med. route)

132,071

2,926
(all Med routes)

Greece

167,972

415
(Eastern Med. route)

376,276

Cyprus

28

na

Spain

3,804

(as of 31August)

62
(Western Med route)

na

Estimated Total

316,331

3,611

508,347

2,926

IOM Athens reported 160 arrivals by sea on Lesvos and Chios islands on 9 October. Another 54 landed on Lesvos, Chios and Milos Islands on 8 October.

Update on other arrival points in Europe

Stranded Migrants in the Western Balkans – The total number of stranded migrants and refugees in Greece and the Western Balkans is 73,721, a 56 percent increase since the implementation of the EU–Turkey agreement on the 10 of March 2016. In Greece, there was a 40 percent increase during the period. Notably, Bulgaria recorded an increase of around 717 percent from 863 to 7,070 between the 10th of March and the 15th of September, 2016.

Relocation Updates – As of 21 September, a total of 5,297 migrants were relocated from Greece (4,140) and Italy (1,157) by IOM under the EU relocation programme.

Readmissions to Turkey – According to Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), as of 5 October, a total of 579 migrants were returned from Greece to Turkey as a part of the EU–Turkey agreement. During the period, 1,670 refugees from Syria were resettled by IOM from Turkey to 13 EU countries. The majority were resettled to Germany (614), Sweden (269), France (228) and the Netherlands (170).

Bulgaria – From the beginning of 2016 through 29 September, 14,656 undocumented migrants were identified in Bulgaria. Of these, 4,046 were identified on exit, 3,965 on entry (3,521 entered from Turkey) and 6,645 inside the country. 

Serbia – Some 4,992 migrants and refugees were stranded in Serbia as of 5 October. This represents a significant increase (348 percent) from 1,114 migrants and refugees reported beginning of the July, when Hungary adopted legislation which allows its border patrols to send migrants apprehended within an 8km radius of the border back to Serbia.

 

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic:
http://migration.iom.int/docs/Mediterranean_Update_11_October_2016.pdf

For the latest Mixed Migration Flows Compilation Report on the Mediterranean and Beyond: http://migration.iom.int/docs/WEEKLY Flows Compilation No26 6 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:
IOM Italy, Flavio Di Giacomo, 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 
IOM Bulgaria, Radoslav Stamenkov at Tel: +359 886 177 053; Email: rstamenkov@iom.int
GMDAC, Berlin, Julia Black, Tel: +49 30 278 778 27, Email: jblack@iom.int
IOM Egypt, Amr Taha at Tel: +202-27365140, Email: iomegypt@iom.int 
IOM Geneva, Joel Millman, Tel: +41.79.103-8720, Email: jmillman@iom.int or Daniel Szabo, Tel: +41.76.768.77.03, Email: dszabo@iom.int, or dtmsupport@iom.iont 
IOM Libya, Othman Belbeisi, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int  or Ashraf Hassan, Tel: +216297 94707, Email: ashassan@iom.int
IOM Serbia, Email: mailto:iombeograd@iom.int  or Slavko Miljanovic smiljanovic@iom.int
IOM Turkey, Email: mediaiomturkey@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 Italie, Tel: +39 347 089 8996 Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int