Migrant crisis: Mediterranean rescue as influx tops million
- Published
Migrant numbers have quadrupled since last year
Italian officials have reported the rescue of 555 migrants from the Mediterranean while 11 others died trying to reach Greece from Turkey.
The news came as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the number of migrants and refugees crossing illegally into Europe by sea and land had passed one million.
The figure for 2015 represents a fourfold rise on the total last year.
Before the latest deaths, the number of dead or missing was put at 3,695.
Most of the migrants crossed by sea, with more than 800,000 travelling from Turkey to Greece. Half are migrants from Syria.
The influx of migrants has caused significant political rifts within the EU, with some states inside the border-free Schengen area putting up fences and re-imposing frontier controls.
Hungary and Slovakia are taking legal action at the European Court of Justice to challenge EU plans to share asylum seekers across EU states.
Most migrants and refugees want to settle in richer northern countries like Germany and Sweden.
Germany alone has received a million refugees and migrants this year, although many were already within Europe, particularly in the Balkans.
Rubber dinghies
Multiple migrant rescues were reported on Tuesday despite the wintry weather
The Italian coast guard saved 360 people from three rubber dinghies
Italy's navy said one of its vessels had rescued 100 migrants and recovered one body
The Doctors Without Borders boat Bourbon Argos picked up 95 migrants from vessels adrift off Libya
In the Aegean, 11 people died after their boat went down, apparently en route from Kusadasi in Turkey to the Greek island of Samos.
Turkish coast guards rescued seven people. One report said the dead were Syrians.
Frontex - EU's border force explained
According to the IOM report, external, the total number of migrants and refugees entering by land or sea reached more than 1,006,000 this year on Monday.
It covered entries via six EU nations - Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus.
The report found among other things that
Half of the refugees crossing the Mediterranean were from Syria, 20% were from Afghanistan and 7% from Iraq
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
972,500 people have arrived by sea
34,000 people have crossed from Turkey into Bulgaria and Greece by land
942,400 new asylum claims in the EU Jan-Nov 2015, rising to more than 1 million when Norway and Switzerland are included (Source: Eurostat monthly figures)
More than 1 million registrations in Germany's "EASY" system which counts new arrivals ahead of them claiming asylum. This includes a large number (approx 40%) of people from the Balkans not included in UNHCR figures
The IOM gathers its statistics from registrations, law enforcement agencies and its own monitors.
A joint IOM and UNHCR statement said, external found a "more co-ordinated European response" was beginning to take shape.
However, it argued that more needed to be done to improve reception facilities, accommodation and registration, and to identify those who do and do not qualify for refugee protection.
Frontex boost
The BBC's Jenny Hill reports on how some refugees in Germany are being given apprenticeships
The EU last week agreed to increase the numbers of Frontex border agency staff in Greece, a key arrival point.
Macedonia is now refusing to allow anyone through its Greek border who does not come from a war zone.
A UN report also last week, external warned that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide would "far surpass" 60 million this year.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.