The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that at least 88,736 migrants and refugees had entered Europe via sea in 2018 as of October 14. Of them, 40,598 arrived in Spain, the main destination this year.
The country has seen more arrive this year than the previous three years put together. The total number of arrivals in the region are fewer than the 143,601 seen in the same period of the year last year and than the 319,594 in 2016. IOM reports that 1,839 people have died in the Mediterranean in the attempt to reach Europe this year so far, a weekly average of almost 45 people, both adults and children.
The total is lower than the 2,831 victims - average of 69 per week - in the same period of last year and than the 3,709 (90 per week) in 2016. Last week one of the deadliest this year Some 57 people have recently lost their lives when three boats carrying them sunk in the Mediterranean. Last week was one of the deadliest for the region in 2018.Between three and 20 migrants either drowned or are still missing after a shipwreck off the Spanish coast, while another 33 migrants and refugees died in two road accidents in Turkey and Greece.
IOM noted that though the road accidents are not included in the deaths at sea, they ''are a warning'' about the dangers that many migrants and refugees face even before getting onto boats and that the situation will worsen in the coming months due to changing weather conditions.
Arrivals in Greece
Antigoni Avgeropoulou from the Greek office of IOM said that from October 11 to 14, the Greek Coast Guard (HCG) had told the UN agency that it has been informed of at least four incidents that required search and rescue operations on the Samos and Lesvos islands. The HCG rescued a total of 181 migrants and transferred them to the islands.
Further arrivals in recent days of about 220 people to Kos, Kalimnos, Samos and Lesbos have raised the total number of arrivals by sea to Greece this year to 24,912 as of October 14. About 120 migrants and refugees arrived per day in October, slightly more than the 87 daily average seen this year overall, after a stable level of 100 per day since the end of July.