Fatalities among migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe could outstrip last year's total, the UN said Tuesday (September 20th), even though total numbers fell in the first nine months of this year, AFP reported.
"The number of refugees and migrants reaching European shores this year passed the 300,000 mark today," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman William Spindler.
While that is well down on last year's January to September total of 520,000, fatality rates had risen, with 2016 on track to be "the deadliest year on record in the Mediterranean Sea", according to a UNHCR statement.
So far, 3,211 migrants have been reported dead or missing on the Mediterranean in 2016, just 15% lower than the total number of fatalities for all of last year (3,771), the statement said.
Nearly half of the migrants and refugees who landed on Greek shores this year were Syrians, with 25% coming from Afghanistan and 15% from Iraq, UNHCR said.
