MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 486 refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of 2015 while trying to reach Europe, 10 times as many as during the equivalent period of time in 2014, The Guardian reported Wednesday.
The last year's record of 3,419 asylum seekers' deaths in the Mediterranean could be easily surpassed in 2015, according to the preliminary data provided to the newspaper by the International Organization for Migration.
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the main routes for migrants fleeing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East and trying to reach Europe. At least 207,000 refugees crossed the Mediterranean to find asylum in Europe in 2014, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Syrians and Eritreans make up almost 50 percent of the migrants.
