Nearly 5,000 Refugees Were Killed in 2014, Data Shows

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Syrian Refugees' Hunger Strike Outside Greek Parliament
Syrian refugees wait in tents during a hunger strike outside the parliamentary building in Athens on Nov. 30, 2014Anadolu Agency—Getty Images
By Rishi Iyengar

The number of refugees killed while fleeing their home countries more than doubled in the past year, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which said the toll for 2014 was nearly 5,000

According to the New York Times, citing IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle, about 3,000 of those people drowned while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, up from 707 out of 2,376 last year.

Doyle added that a majority of the refugees were from Iraq, Syria and Palestine, killed in the process of escaping escalating conflicts.

[NYT]

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com