Geneva, September 17 (QNA) - Sea arrivals of migrants and refugees to Europe dropped 39 percent this year to approximately 60,000, down from 98,040 during the same period last year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Despite the decline in arrivals, led by a 55 percent drop on the Central Mediterranean route to Italy, fatalities across Mediterranean and Atlantic routes rose to at least 2,292, up from 1,999 in 2025.

IOM Director General Amy Pope warned that migrants face increasingly hazardous journeys.

The Eastern Mediterranean route to Greece saw the largest casualty increase, with deaths rising from 284 to 417. Meanwhile, Libyan authorities intercepted and returned 17,067 migrants at sea. (QNA)