GENEVA (Sputnik) – Over 991,000 migrants have entered Europe so far in 2015, and the number of arrivals is expected to reach one million in the coming days, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
"We see flows so strong this late in the year that, perhaps, by Tuesday [December 22], perhaps even before then, IOM estimates the one-million mark will pass… This is extraordinary," Joel Millman said at a press briefing.
The number is "very alarming," and is several times higher than last year, he added.
Europe is currently struggling to tackle a massive refugee influx, as hundreds of thousands of people flee conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety and refuge.
On Wednesday, IOM said that some 989,215 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by both sea and land since the beginning of the year.
