Rome, Sep 4 (IANS/AKI) A total of 5,571 migrants reached Italy's shores this year across the Mediterranean - a 72.4 percent drop from the same point of 2018 when 20,186 arrived, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Boat migrant landings in 2019 were 94.5 per cent fewer than the 99,851 of 2017, according to the Interior Ministry figures.

Tunisians accounted for the biggest share of arrivals this year (26 per cent), followed by Pakistanis (15 per cent), Algerians (10 per cent), Ivorians (9 per cent), Iraqis (7 per cent) and Sudanese (4 per cent) and Bangladeshis (4 per cent).

The overwhelming majority of boat migrants continue to cross to Italy from Libya, with Tunisia in second place.

The number of unaccompanied minors also plunged in 2019 to 748 from 3,536 last year and 15,779 in 2017, the Interior Ministry figures showed.

--IANS/AKI
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