Nearly 400 refugees died crossing Mediterranean in October

Geneva, Nov 3 (IANS/EFE) Nearly 400 refugees and migrants lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean in October, and another 18 died in the first three days of November, according to latest data available with the International Organization for Migration.

The new findings raised the number of people who have died trying to reach Europe by sea in 2015 to 3,406 migrants.

The deaths in the Mediterranean account for more than 72 percent of migrant deaths in the world so far this year.

The figure was released on Tuesday, a day after the UN agency for refugees UNHCR announced that in October, the number of refugees and migrants who crossed the Mediterranean surpassed the total accumulated until September.

Of the 218,000 who made it across the sea to reach the coasts of Greece, Italy and Spain in October, about 28,000 did so this same weekend, despite the continuing deterioration of the weather and the increased danger.

--IANS/EFE

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