The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Monday that migrant arrivals totalled 5,500 people on Italy’s shores in October, marking a 29% drop from September’s figure of 7,685 arrivals.
Tragically, the body of a Syrian man, believed to have died of natural causes, was found on a boat that had departed from Tripoli.
UNHCR data also showed fluctuating migrant arrival numbers throughout the year.
- January – 2,258 arrivals,
- February – 2,301,
- March – 6,857,
- April – 4,721,
- May – 4,976,
- June – 4,902,
- July – 7,465,
- August – 8,526
- September – 7,685
- October – 5,500
Migrants reaching Italy this year departed primarily from Libya, which accounted for approximately 65% of sea arrivals. Other common points of departure included Tunisia, Turkey, and Algeria.
In October, roughly 85% of arrivals landed on the island of Lampedusa. Additional landings occurred at Crotone, Roccella Ionica, Pozzallo, Porto Empedocle, Lampione, Ravenna, Marsala, Salerno, Augusta, Bari, and Carloforte.
The UNHCR further identified the primary nationalities of migrants arriving in Italy since January as Bangladeshi (20%), Syrian (19%), Tunisian (13%), Egyptian (7%), Guinean (6%), Pakistani (4%), Eritrean (3%), Sudanese (3%), Malian (3%), and Gambian (2%).
The Italian government is restarting its processing of migrant arrivals in Albania.
