ROME (Sputnik) – According to the official data, more than 153,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, which is 10 percent more than during the same period of the previous year. If the tendency remains, the number of migrants coming to Italy will exceed the last year record of more than 170,000 people, the Rai News TV channel reported.
During the last 72 hours about 12,000 people were reportedly saved from the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian coast guard. On Monday, 4,292 more saved migrants are expected to be delivered to Italy.
About 20 percent of arriving migrants and refugees coming to Italy are Nigerians, 18 percent – Eritreans, 7 percent – Guineans and 6 percent – Gambians.
Italy is one of the most popular countries among migrants fleeing North Africa and seeking asylum in Europe, which is trying to cope with a massive refugee crisis.
