Advertisment CBC.ca (BUTTON) MENU * TV * Radio * News * Sports * Music * Arts * (BUTTON) Local * (BUTTON) More * Watch * Listen * (BUTTON) Log in * (BUTTON) SEARCH ____________________ SEARCH * British Columbia * Kamloops * Calgary * Edmonton * Saskatchewan * Saskatoon * Manitoba * Thunder Bay * Sudbury * Windsor * Kitchener-Waterloo * Hamilton * Toronto * Ottawa * Montreal * New Brunswick * Prince Edward Island * Nova Scotia * Newfoundland & Labrador * North * Kids * Documentaries * Comedy * Books * Parents * Aboriginal * Weather * CBC Connects * Digital Archives * Podcasts * Games * Contests * Holiday * Site Map CBC Member CBC User User profile avatar image You currently have: * 0 Likes * 0 Comments Subscriptions Go to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your: * CBC Newsletters * Daily Digests * Breaking Alerts Log Out Log out of your CBC account. (BUTTON) My Profile (BUTTON) My Subscriptions (BUTTON) Log Out CBC News World CBC News Navigation * Home * World * Canada * Politics * Business * Health * Arts & Entertainment * Technology & Science * Trending * Weather * Video * World * Photo Galleries Refugee crisis: Record number of migrants cross Mediterranean, agency says UN sending pre-fab houses to Hungary Thomson Reuters Posted: Sep 11, 2015 5:37 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 11, 2015 3:12 PM ET WATCH: The refugees' desperate journey through Europe 2:45 Close Smartphones: a critical tool for refugees Smartphones: a critical tool for refugees 3:02 Smartphones: a critical tool for refugees 3:02 Close Record number of migrants cross Mediterranean Record number of migrants cross Mediterranean 1:52 Record number of migrants cross Mediterranean 1:52 Related Stories * Mytilene's tent cities gone, but refugees still major issue for Greek island * Syrian refugee recounts harrowing tale of bribes, threats, sinkings * Refugee crisis: Hungarian camerawoman apologizes for kicking, tripping migrants * Margaret Evans reports on the treacherous sea crossing for refugees * #Whoarethey: Europe's asylum-seekers come from all walks of life, abilities More than 430,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far in 2015, a record number that is more than double the total for the whole of last year, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday. The United Nations refugee agency called for decent mass reception centres to be set up immediately in Greece, Italy and Hungary, on the front lines of a huge influx of refugees being received in "appalling conditions". The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) welcomed a European Union proposal to share out 160,000 refugees and an offer by Washington to take 10,000 Syrians over the next year, but said "the United States could and should do much more". * Refugee crisis: Follow the latest developments * View from the boat: What asylum-seekers see as they cross treacherous waters * #Whoarethey: Europe's asylum-seekers come from all walks of life, abilities * Margaret Evans reports on refugees awaiting registration in Lesbos The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration said a record 432,761 refugees and migrants were now estimated to have made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year, while 2,748 have drowned. The IOM said an estimated 309,356 people had arrived by sea in Greece as of Sept. 10, with another 121,139 arriving in Italy, 2,166 in Spain and 100 in Malta. This was a record and compared with 197,940 people who arrived by sea in those four European countries in all of 2014, IOM spokesman Daniel Szabo told Reuters. The UNHCR is sending prefabricated housing units to provide temporary overnight shelter for 300 families in Hungary, a country that is building a 175-kilometre fence along its southern border with Serbia to stem the flow of people trekking north, many aiming for Germany. "We are stepping up operations in Europe, including Hungary," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a news briefing. Fifty pre-fab family homes have also arrived in the Greek island of Lesbos, and a further 300 are being sent to nearby Kos, while 50 have arrived in Macedonia, he said. Appalling conditions "We are very concerned, we were the first to call attention to the appalling conditions in many of these places. They are slowing getting better, they are still far from meeting international standards," Spindler said. The UNHCR was "closely following" Hungary's use of the army to control the situation. "Obviously we expect authorities to respect rights of refugees whether they are the police or army or the civilian authorities," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that his police would take tougher action from next week against migrants who he said had rebelled against authorities, seized railway stations and refused to be registered. UNHCR urged the EU to uphold national and international law in managing its borders, including by ensuring people are able to seek asylum from war and persecution. EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE A Syrian refugee holding a child leaves a Greek coast guard vessel following a rescue operation, on the eastern island of Agathonisi on Friday. The tiny island with fewer than 200 residents, receives about 300 to 600 refugees and migrants every day, local authorities estimated. (Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters) The UNHCR reiterated that the EU would need to relocate 200,000 people from the frontline European countries such as Greece and Italy by the end of 2016, more than the 160,000 mentioned in the EU plan. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday the EU would offer better protection for refugees but would also improve its frontier defences and deport more illegal migrants. About half of those crossing the Mediterranean are Syrians fleeing civil war, a figure "expected to continue rising rapidly over the coming weeks and months", the UNHCR said. Afghans, Eritreans, Nigerians and Somalis compose the other four largest groups of nationalities in the human tide seeking European shores, Spindler said. "They will not be deterred by barbed wire or even taking dangerous sea voyages. The answer is to provide adequate legal avenues for people to come to Europe in safety," Spindler said. © Thomson Reuters, 2015 Reuters * Report Typo Send Feedback Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Submission Policy Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines. Stay Connected with CBC News * Mobile * Facebook * Podcasts * Twitter * Alerts * Newsletter Advertisment Latest Video * Iran releases detained U.S. sailors Iran releases detained U.S. sailors 1:20 Video shows 10 navy members who were held overnight before being let go * Refugees fleeing conflict continue to arrive in Greece Refugees fleeing conflict continue to arrive in Greece 1:17 Ship carrying over 1,000 people lands in port of Piraeus * Obama on the threat of ISIS Obama on the threat of ISIS 1:30 President Barack Obama delivers his final annual report card on the U.S * 'Food Stamp recipients didn’t cause the 'Food Stamp recipients didn’t cause the 1:27 President Barack Obama delivers his final annual report card on the U.S Advertisment Most Viewed * Iran's quick release of American sailors applauded by John Kerry read comments * Istanbul suicide bomber entered the country as a refugee, PM says read comments * South Korea fires warning shots after spotting suspected drone from North read comments * Pakistan polio vaccination centre suicide bombing kills 15 read comments * Barack Obama not the only president to go grey in the White House read comments Right Communications * hi-peter-mansbridge The National Canada's destination for original journalism and stories with added depth and context. Don't Miss * canada dollar loonie Canadian dollar will drop to 59 cents US in 2016, Macquarie forecasts * Obama State of Union Analysis Barack Obama delivers 'peppery and partisan' final state of the union address * A3 e-tron NAIAS 2016 NAIAS 2016: Detroit car show models are watching you right back * Powerball Jackpot Powerball lottery: 5 things Canadians need to know * John Tory and Justin Trudeau Updated Trudeau praises Toronto's response to Syrian refugee resettlement * Les Deux Alpes map Updated Alps avalanche kills 2 French high school students, 1 Ukrainian skier * Kevin O'Leary New Kevin O'Leary tries to trump Rachel Notley, saying she's 'bankrupt' of ideas * Predicting the 2016 Oscar nominees Analysis Oscar nominations 2016: CBC's Eli Glasner predicts the finalists * TURKEY-BLAST/ Istanbul suicide bomber entered the country as a refugee, PM says * Transport trucks lined up in Nipigon, Ont., winter Nipigon River Bridge delays slow $100M of goods shipped daily * canadian powerball ticket holder Powerball lottery: Questions about legitimacy of online ticket brokers not stopping Canadians * Oil and gas Oklahoma fracking lawsuit Oil prices Who wins, who loses when oil drops below $30 * CANADA/ RRSPs Selling your house in retirement: What not to do * winter storm 2016 Atlantic winter weather causes widespread outages, cancellations * Oilpatch Outlook 20151028 Analysis Seeking a political scapegoat for plunging oil: Don Pittis Explore CBC * CBC Home * TV * Radio * News * Sports * Music * Arts * Kids * Local * Documentaries * Comedy * Books * Parents * Aboriginal * Weather * CBC Connects * Digital Archives * Games * Contests * Site Map Stay Connected * Mobile * RSS * Podcasts * Newsletters & Alerts Services and Information * Corporate Info * Public Appearances * Commercial Services * Reuse & Permission * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * CBC Shop * Help * Contact Us * Jobs * Doing Business with Us * Renting Facilities CBC CBC gem logo Radio-Canada ©2016 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved Visitez Radio-Canada.ca