A total of 45,505 irregular migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea since the beginning of 2019, the UN migration agency said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Of that figure, 859 died at sea, according to a report published by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

During the same period last year, nearly 64,836 refugees and migrants were able to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, 1,558 of which drowned at sea.

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Middle East Monitor