GENEVA - The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported Tuesday that some 111,500 migrants have been rescued at sea on the central Mediterranean passage linking North Africa with Italy since the beginning of 2016.
By far the deadliest route for maritime migrants seeking to reach European shores, the sea-passage has already claimed the lives of 2,726 individuals so far this year.
An additional 386 migrants and refugees have drowned on the eastern Mediterranean route separating Turkey and Greece, while 53 have died crossing the Western Mediterranean and Western African passages.
According to IOM figures, over 272,000 maritime arrivals have been recorded in Europe so far this year, most of them in Greece (163,105 entries) and Italy (106,461). (Xinhua)