Record 218,000 migrants crossed Mediterranean in October

More than 218,000 migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in October — a monthly record and nearly the same number as in the whole of 2014, the United Nations says.

“Last month was a record month for arrivals,” UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards tells AFP, pointing out that “arrivals in October paralleled the entire 2014.”

In October, 218,394 people made the perilous crossing — all but 8,000 of them landing in Greece — compared to 219,000 arrivals during all of last year, UN figures show.

The soaring numbers of arrivals last month bring to over 744,000 the number of people who have made the journey so far this year.

— AFP