(ANSA) - ROME - Some 270,576 migrants have travelled to Europe by sea since the start of the year according to the latest International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures dating to August 24. This compares to 354,618 over the same period in 2015.

In total 3,165 people are known to have died during the dangerous sea crossing in the first eight months of 2016, compared to 2,656 in the same period last year. The majority of deaths have been in the Sicily Channel during the voyage from north Africa to Italy. This year the vast majority of migrants have arrived in Greece (162,730), followed by Italy (105,342), Spain (2,476) and Cyprus (28).

So far just 4,400 asylum seekers have been relocated across Europe against a total of 160,000 provided for by 2017 under the EU quota system rejected by several member states.

In addition, since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, approximately 11,000 migrants have been repatriated from Libya.

(ANSA).