Over 45,000 African Migrants Reach Europe Via Mediterranean So Far In 2019 - IOM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2019) Some 45,505 African migrants and refugees reached Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea this year, 30 percent fewer than during the same period in 2018, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Friday.

"IOM reports that 45,505 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through 13 August, roughly a 30 percent decrease from the 64,836 arriving during a similar period last year," the release said.

Deaths recorded on the three main Mediterranean Sea routes through almost seven months of 2019 totaled 859 - about 55 percent of the 1,558 deaths confirmed during a same period in 2018, the release added.

Arrivals this year to Greece and Spain are at 23,193 and 14,680, respectively - 37,873 combined - accounting for about 83 percent of the regional total, with the balance arriving in much smaller numbers to Italy, Malta and Cyprus, according to the release.

Migration has fallen sharply from more than 4.5 million people who have requested asylum in Europe since 2014, according to the European Union.

Nevertheless, the surge in immigration continues to roil European politics, with anti-immigration nationalists gaining support at the expense of mainstream political parties.