Switzerland - IOM reports that 345,676 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 23 November, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy.

Some 171,463 people have arrived in Greece and 168,579 in Italy during 2016. The total is well below the number of arrivals at this point in 2015, by which time some 883,393 migrants and refugees had made the journey.

IOM Rome reported Thursday (24/11) that over 1,300 migrants have been rescued since Tuesday (22/11): the majority of them are not counted in the statistics above. Another eight corpses have been recovered since IOM’s last update, and reports suggest that an unspecified number of migrants are also missing, presumed drowned.

This brings to at least 4,663 the total number of migrant and refugee fatalities in the Mediterranean through 2016. Through 25 November last year, a total of 3,574 men, women and children were reported drowned on this dangerous passage.

Through 2015’s remaining 36 days, a total of 23 more migrants and refugees would die. Deaths in 2016 have already surpassed by 1,186 the total number of missing migrants recorded lost in the Mediterranean for the whole of 2015. 

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic: 
http://migration.iom.int/docs/Mediterranean_Update_25_November_2016.pdf
For latest arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean, please visit: http://migration.iom.int/europe
Learn more about the Missing Migrants Project at: http://missingmigrants.iom.int

For further information please contact:
Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Italy, 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 
Julia Black at IOM GMDAC, Tel: +49 30 278 778 27, Email: jblack@iom.int
Mazen Aboulhosn at IOM Turkey, Tel: +9031245-51202, Email: maboulhosn@iom.int
Joel Millman at IOM Geneva, Tel: +41 79 103 8720, Email: jmillman@iom.int
IOM Libya: Othman Belbeisi, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int  or Ashraf Hassan, Tel: +216297 94707, Email: ashassan@iom.int

For 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