IOM Records Sharp Decrease in Migrant Arrivals in Europe by Sea in 2017

IOM reports that 16,775 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 26 February, compared with the first 57 days of 2016, when 124,986 people entered Europe by sea, according to official statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A significant decrease in migrant arrivals in Europe by the Mediterranean Sea was recorded through February 26 with just 16,775 migrants entering Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release Tuesday.

"IOM reports that 16,775 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 26 February, with just over 80 percent arriving in Italy and the rest in Greece and Spain," the statement said.

Overall, the IOM reported a sharp decrease of refugee arrivals compared with the first 57 days of 2016, when 124,986 people entered Europe by sea.

IOM Rome reported that while in 2016 fewer than 9,000 people arrived in Italy in the same period, 13,457 migrants came in 2017.

OVer 116,005 migrants arrived in Greece last year via the Eastern route, while 2,318 came in 2017, the IOM said. A total of 1,000 refugees came along the Western route, leading to Spain. No data was provided regarding last year.

On the sea’s central route, connecting Libya and Italy, 444 deaths and disappearances were reported through February 26, compared with 97 last year over the same period. On the Western route, 39 deaths were recorded compared to seven last year. At the same time, on the Eastern corridor between Turkey and Greece only two deaths were recorded, compared to 321 in 2016.

Across the entire Mediterranean region, 485 people died at sea in comparison with 425 in 2016.

The death toll is expected to increase with the rise in migration activity as the weather improves, the IOM predicted.

The European Union has experienced a massive refugee influx over recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing violence in the Middle East and North Africa to seek asylum in Europe.