A monthly
record of 218,394 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in October, the
UN says, almost as many as the total number of arrivals in 2014. The number
reaching Greece was 210,265, and for Italy it was 8,129, according to the
UNHCR.
On Sunday, the bodies of 10 people were
recovered from a capsized boat a short distance from Samos. Six of the dead
were children and another child's body was found on a beach.
This year alone, 3,440 have drowned or have
been declared missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the UN
agency says. The International Organization for Migration says more than 400
people died while travelling to Greece.
According to the UN, 744,175 have arrived on
Europe's shores, the vast majority on Greek islands such as Lesbos and Samos.
Most migrants arrive packed into unseaworthy boats, having paid huge sums to
people smugglers. Rough seas have made the crossing from Turkey perilous, and
worsening weather conditions appear to have had no effect on the numbers trying
to leave.
Most head north via the Balkans to Germany,
hoping to get asylum. Germany expects at least 800,000 asylum seekers this year
- some estimates put it as high as 1.5 million. That is at least four times the
number who arrived last year. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been trying to come
to an agreement with her coalition partners on restricting the numbers heading
for Germany.
Her Christian Social Union (CSU) ally Horst
Seehofer is pushing for transit zones to be set up to process arrivals near the
country's borders. Mrs Merkel's CDU party backs the idea, however Social
Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel is opposed to the zones amid concerns that they
might resemble detention camps.
Πηγή: BBC.com
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