"IOM, the UN Migration Agency reports that 53,386 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 10 May, with nearly 85 percent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece, Cyprus and Spain," the press release said.
The IOM specified that over three times more arrivals, a total of 187,970, were registered in the same period in 2016.
At least 1,309 people died in the Mediterranean while trying to cross the sea since January 1, according to the IOM.
Europe is currently experiencing a dire migration crisis, and is struggling to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of migrants attempting to enter the continent through various routes, including via Turkey, Italy and Greece.
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