The number of people who have entered Cyprus illegal has increased by 213%, according to Frontex.
Specifically, some 16,000 – mainly from Bangladesh, Egypt and Tunisia – used the Central Mediterranean route.
More than 13,000 crossed via the Eastern Mediterranean, a 116% increase last year.
According to its initial calculations, Frontex said there were 86,420 irregular crossings into the 27-nation bloc in the year’s first five months. In May alone, 23,500 irregular migrants made the journey, a rise of 75% from the previous May, it said.
The Frontex clarified that the data did not include Ukrainian refugees entering the EU via recognised border crossing points. Five and a half million Ukrainians have reached the EU directly from Ukraine or via Moldova since Russia invaded the country on February 24, Frontex said.
