MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The MSF said it had saved 21,603 people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2016, the organization said Friday.
"In 2016 MSF teams saved 21,603 #people in the #Mediterranean. We hope there will be a #safepassage in 2017 and less need of our presence," the organization said on Twitter.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to escape violence and poverty in their home countries are fleeing to the European Union, mainly across the Mediterranean Sea, and using Italy and Greece as the main entry points.
According to the international Organization for Migration, more than 363,000 people arrived in Europe by Sea in 2016, over 5,000 among those who crossed the Mediterranean died or went missing.
As of January 5, 2017, 11 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean have been recorded.
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