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Web alert: UNHRC data shows crossings of Mediterranean Sea exceed 300,000, including 200,000 to Greece
News & Insights 1 September 2015
UNHRC has reported that more refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during the month of July than during the whole of last year.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has recently announced that 200,000 migrants and refugees have landed in Greece since the beginning of 2015.
This figure includes the dramatic increase of arrivals in recent weeks. According to UNHRC, more refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during the month of July (50,242) than during the whole of last year (43,500). It was also reported that, during the second week of August, a total of 20,843 migrants arrived in Greece by sea. The vast majority came from Syria (16,997 migrants or 82% of the total), Afghanistan (2,847 migrants or 14%) and Iraq (582 migrants or 3%).
This sharp increase in arrivals to Greece brings the total number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year to some 300,000. This includes nearly 200,000 to Greece, approximately 110,000 to Italy, 1,953 to Spain, and 94 to Malta. At the same time, up to 2,500 refugees and migrants are feared dead this year, trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of better opportunities.
The club recommends that members with ships trading in this region are fully prepared in the event their assistance is required to engage in a search and rescue (SAR) operation.
The club will continue to keep members informed of developments through the issuance of regular updates. If a member has any queries in relation to this issue, they should not hesitate to call their usual club contact, or the authors of this article.
