Over 1m refugees and migrants arrive in EU this year

More than 1m refugees and migrants came to the EU this year, while almost 3,700 died or went missing in perilous journeys which reaped huge profit for smugglers, the International Organisation for Migration has said.

“This is three to four times as many migrants and refugees coming north as we had in 2014, and the deaths have already far surpassed the deaths last year,” said IOM chief William Lacy Swing.

Almost all those arriving came across the Mediterranean or the Aegean Seas, and half were Syrians fleeing the war.