More than 135,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first half of this year, with most of the burden being borne by countries in southern Europe, a new report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed.
“Desperate people resort to desperate measures and unfortunately ... the numbers are expected to continue to soar,” UNHCR spokesman Brian Hansford said.
The number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe in the first six months of the year rose more than 80 percent from the same period last year, the report said.
Photo: AFP
It comes as EU leaders remain divided over how to solve the growing migrant crisis.
The increase in refugees and migrants, many braving dangerous Mediterranean waters in unsafe boats, has hit countries in southern Europe particularly hard, the report said.
Greece, the largest arrival point for refugees and migrants in the first six months of the year, has a struggling economy and was headed for a default on loans with the IMF.
Refugees and migrants have been pouring into the western Balkans from Greece and since the beginning of last month, more than 1,000 people have been entering every day “as opposed to 200 just a few weeks ago,” the report said.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi rebuked fellow EU leaders last week for failing to agree on a plan to take in 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece.
“As arrivals increase, the reception capacity and conditions remain seriously inadequate,” Hansford said. “This is a regional problem that needs a regional response and regional solidarity.”
Syria, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011, accounted for nearly 44,000 people, making them the largest group coming to Europe’s shores.
The report said instability in Libya was another reason for the increase. Eritrea and Afghanistan were the second and third-largest countries of origin, it said.
However, the report added that increased EU funding for rescue operations has meant a decrease in the number of deaths at sea since May.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including