The UN says more than 5,000 people died in 2016 trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route (AFP Photo/ANDREAS SOLARO).
Rome: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 5,483 migrants, including refugees, entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 29 January.
Over three quarters arrived in Italy – the rest in Greece.
This compares with 67, 375 through the first 29 days of January, 2016.
Missing Migrants Project reports an estimated 253 deaths at sea on various routes in 2017, compared with 367 through the first 29 days of 2016.
This figure is almost a reverse of the pattern a year ago, when 90 deaths occurred on the Central Mediterranean route connecting North Africa to Italy and only five deaths occurring off Spain.
"Crossing the Mediterranean is always dangerous for migrants, but at this time of year the sea conditions and the cold weather can be lethal, particularly for small children," said Federico Soda, Director of the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean in Rome.
In 2016 at this time, 272 deaths were reported on the Eastern route between Turkey and Greece. So far this year it is the Central Mediterranean route – with 227 deaths, and Spain, with 25, that account for almost all the fatalities at sea. There has been just one death reported off Greece earlier this month.
