Number of ‪‎Refugees‬ Entering Europe in October Equals All of 2014’s

218,394 ‪migrants‬ and refugees entered Europe by sea in October, a figure roughly the same as that for the whole of 2014, United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Monday.

At the peak, 10,006 arrived in Greece's shores on Oct. 20. The vast majority of refugees and migrants to Europe have traveled via Turkey to Greece.

The largest group by nationality are Syrians, accounting for 53 percent of arrivals, as a result of the civil war that has driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Afghans come second, making up 18 percent of the total.

The number of refugees entering into Syria's neighboring countries Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, have exceeded 2 million, 1 million and 600,000 respectively.

Greek Coast Guard said on Monday that four refugees drowned and another six were missing off the Greek island of Farmakonisi after their boat sank. Eleven people, including six infants, drowned on Sunday when their boat capsized off the island of Samos, trapping them in the cabin.