GENEVA (Sputnik) — In recent months, Europe has faced the biggest wave of undocumented migrants in years, with thousands of people risking the sea journey across the Mediterranean to Europe to flee violence and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East.
According to IOM, 680,928 people have arrived to European shores in 2015, with 3,175 people perishing at sea.
On Tuesday, IOM said that migrant maritime arrivals to Europe had reached 651,132 since the beginning of the year, and an estimated 3,138 people have died or have gone missing in the attempt.
Earlier in October, IOM said the number of migrants and refugees arriving in the European Union could total 700,000 by the end of 2015.
According to the EU border agency Frontex's latest estimates, the number of migrants who have crossed the bloc’s external frontiers in the first nine months of 2015 has already exceeded 710,000.
