According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2,500 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean between January 1 and September 24.
The U.N. refugee agency said Thursday that some 186,000 migrants and refugees arrived in southern Europe so far this year, the vast majority in Italy.
More than 11,600 children crossed to Italy without their parents or legal guardians between January and mid-September. Last year, about 7,200 unaccompanied or separated children made the crossing.