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Nearly 400 refugees died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in October while another 18 lost their lives in the first three days of November, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The daunting figure, released Tuesday, surpasses that of September and brings the total number of refugee deaths on European shores up to 3,406 this year alone.
Experts fear the deaths will only increase in the coming months as the weather in Europe gets colder and human traffickers are lure more refugees with cheaper fares.
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Last week, the Greek coast guard recorded two shipwrecks that cost the lives of 22 people, including at least one little boy. While thousands more made it safely to Greece, the country’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has condemned Europe’s inaction over the refugee crisis.
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#Refugees and #migrants arrive at #Lesbos isl. from #Turkey. #refugeecrisis #refugeescrisis #Greece #refugeesGr pic.twitter.com/SbKlTsXzqH
— Kostis Ntantamis (@ansuz777)
November 3, 2015
"These are hypocritical, crocodile tears which are being shed for the dead children on the shores of the Aegean. Dead children always incite sorrow, but what about the children that are alive who come in thousands and are stacked on the streets? Nobody likes them," Tsipras said last week.
He added: "I want to express ... my endless grief at the dozens of deaths and the human tragedy playing out in our seas. The waves of the Aegean are not just washing up dead refugees, dead children, but [also] the very civilization of Europe."
Nearly half of those that have arrived in Greece this year are Syrian, followed by Afghan and Iraqi refugees. Most of those arriving in Italy are from Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia.
