Migrant detections in Central Med +305% in Q1 - Frontex

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 12 - In the first three months of 2023 the number of irregular crossings of the Central Mediterranean rose by 305% to nearly 27,651 compared to the same period in 2022, EU border agency Frontex said on Wednesday.
    In March alone, the number of migrants and refugees making the crossing increased nine-fold over last year to around 13,000.
    Overall, Frontex detected 54,000 irregular crossings at the EU's borders in the first quarter of 2023, 26% more than in the same period last year.
    The Western Balkans remained the second most active migratory route after the Central Mediterranean with 14,858 detections between January and March.
    However, this figure represented a 22% drop over the same period in 2022 due to visa-policy alignments in the region with the EU and the reinforcement of border control capacities by Hungary, Frontex said. (ANSA).