Refugee influx to Europe hits 100,000 in 2017, says IOM

Over 100,000 refugees have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Europe so far this year, figures by the United Nations show.

Over 100,000 refugees have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Europe so far this year, figures by the United Nations show.

 The figures released by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday showed that between January 1 and July 3 more than 85,000 migrants landed in Italy, nearly 9,300 arrived in Greece, nearly 6,500 in Spain and over 270 in Cyprus.

 According to IOM, nearly 2,250 people have died in 2017 attempting the sea crossing from North Africa.

 Tensions have been mounting among EU nations on how to tackle the refugee crisis.

 Italy has taken in nearly 85 percent of the arrivals, most of them sub-Saharan Africans crossing from Libya.