Report: One million migrants reached Europe in 2015

The number of migrants and refugees crossing into Europe by land and sea this year has passed one million, UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration, say. In a joint release, UNHCR and IOM say the number of refugees and migrants who have made the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing to Europe is nearly […]

The number of migrants and refugees crossing into Europe by land and sea this year has passed one million, UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration, say.
In a joint release, UNHCR and IOM say the number of refugees and migrants who have made the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing to Europe is nearly five times higher than last.  In 2014, nearly 220,000 people fled to Europe. 
More than 800,000 migrants crossed the sea from Turkey to Greece, majority of them are from war torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The report says 3,695 migrants have drowned this year or remain missing.
The symbolic milestone was passed on Monday, with the total for land and sea reaching more than 1,006,000. The figure covers entries via six European Union nations – Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus.
Most of the migrants who died – 2,889 – were making the sea crossing between North Africa and Italy, while more than 700 died in the Aegean crossing to Greece from Turkey. Only 3.5% of migrants made a land journey to Greece or Bulgaria via Turkey.
However, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing said: “We know migration is inevitable, it’s necessary and it’s desirable.
“But it’s not enough to count the number of those arriving, or the nearly 4,000 this year reported missing or drowned. We must also act.
“Migration must be legal, safe and secure for all-both for the migrants themselves and the countries that will become their new home.”