By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The number of refugee deaths worldwide has topped 4,000 for the fourth year in a row, according to the UN's migration agency, IOM on Friday.

"Worldwide, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded 4,002 migrant fatalities in 2017 as of Sept. 20. This marks the fourth straight year MMP has recorded at least 4,000 migrant fatalities worldwide," IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a news conference at the UN Headquarters in Geneva.

Millman said 2,556 refugees had died in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year while trying to reach Europe.

"133,640 refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through Sept. 20, with over 75 percent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece, Cyprus and Spain," the spokesman said.

"This compares with 300,767 arrivals across the region through the same period last year," he added.