(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) Rome/Brussels Dhu-AlHijjah 15 1436 September 29 2015 SPA -- Some 522000 migrants have made the dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean so far this year the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Tuesday in Geneva.
More than 388000 of them went by boat from Turkey to Greece while 131000 ventured from Northern Africa to Italy.
Smaller numbers have arrived in Spain and Malta.
"Even if arrivals are still increasing it is necessary to emphasize that this in not an emergency in terms of numbers" IOM director general William Lacy Swing said in New York pointing to the 4 million Syrian refugees being hosted by Middle Eastern countries and
Turkey.
Europe should create legal channels for migrants so that they do not have to turn to people smugglers and their boats he said.
Nearly 2900 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean according to IOM.
An estimated 1151 migrants were pulled from boats off the coast of Libya on Monday in 11 rescue operations by Italian authorities
according to Ansa news agency.
On Monday the European Council announced the second phase of the EU operation to tackle the surging numbers of migrants crossing the
Mediterranean and renamed it Operation Sophia.
--SPA
16:40 LOCAL TIME 13:40 GMT
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