A total of 29,844 irregular migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea since the beginning of 2019, the UN migration agency said Friday.
Of that figure, 681 died at sea, according to a report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
During the same period last year, nearly 46,441 refugees and migrants were able to reach Europe, 1,414 of which drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
This year, 13,997 irregular migrants and refugees arrived in Greece, making up nearly half of total arrivals.
Spain received 10,538 irregular migrants and refugees, one-third of the total arrivals. An average 58 people arrive daily on the Spanish coast, said IOM Spain representative Ana Dodevska.
“Greece and Spain combine to account for 82 percent of the region’s irregular sea landings,” the IOM said in a statement on the report.
According to Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM Italy spokesman, 2,790 migrants entered Italy so far this year. Some 16,709 migrants entered Italy at this same time in 2018.
A total of 30,510 migrants died between 2014 and 2018 while making the treacherous journey to Europe, the UN agency reported in January.
