Italy - IOM reports an estimated 189,414 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 15 May, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain.

Deaths through 15 May this year stand at 1,357 on all Mediterranean routes, which is 24 percent lower than last year’s total of 1,792, through the same period.

Yesterday (16/05) some 1,359 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in operations carried out by Dignity One (MSF), Borsini (Italian Navy), Le Roisin (Irish Navy), Aquarius (SOS Mediterranèe), Frankfurt (German Navy) and Siem Pilot (Norway).

IOM’s team in Italy maintains that migrant flows have remained more or less stable during the first five months of 2016, compared to the same period last year, with the top nationalities arriving in Italy remaining the same – mostly Sub-Saharan Africans.

Despite a sharp drop in departures of Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans from Turkey to Greece, IOM has yet to see any evidence that these nationalities are responding to the closure of the Balkan route by returning to the Central Mediterranean route and trying to reach Italy via Egypt or Libya.

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic please go to: http://missingmigrants.iom.int/sites/default/files/Mediterranean_Update_17_May_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 Greece. Daniel Esdras, Tel: +30 210 9912174, Email:  iomathens@iom.int  or Kelly Namia, Tel: +302109919040, +302109912174, Email: knamia@iom.int or Abby Dwommoh at IOM Turkey, Tel: +903124551202, Email: adwommoh@iom.int; or Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int; or IOM Geneva, Leonard Doyle, Tel: +41-792857123, Email: ldoyle@iom.int or Itayi Viriri, Tel: + 41 79 285 43 66, Email: iviriri@iom.int