The International Organization for Migration has today revealed that 31,244 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to enter Greece in just the first 16 days of 2016.
The organization expects the number of migrants to enter Greece is likely to exceed 850,000 migrants who crossed over to Greece by sea in 2015.
The statistic is 21 times the number of migrants who crossed during the same time-frame in January 2015.
48% of the migrants who embarked on the journey are Syrian nationals.
It also reveals that 607 migrants were rescued off the Italian coast.
The U.N. has warned migrants not to make the journey as it has forecast below-normal temperatures and heavy snowfall during the next two weeks, warning that children could free to death.
Over 10,000 Syrian nationals have made the journey over by sea.
The death toll has continued to rise with worsening weather conditions, three shipwrecks have been recorded since January 15th.
Report: Migrant Arrivals in Greece in January Spike 2,100 Percent from a Year Ago: IOM
