Refugee and migrant arrivals in EU pass 1 million in 2015: UN

 

The number of refugees and migrants arriving by land and sea in the European Union has passed 1 million this year, while a further 3,600 died or went missing, the U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration(IOM) said on Tuesday Dec 22,2015

Half of those arriving were Syrians fleeing the war, another 20 % were Afghans, and 7 % were Iraqis, the two agencies said in a joint statement.

Out of a total of 1,005,504 arrivals to Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus by Dec. 21, the vast majority -- 816,752 -- arrived by sea in Greece, IOM said