Some 239,000 people fleeing conflict and poverty have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday. The number of arrivals in Southern Europe has now surpassed last year's total of 219,000, AP quoted the Geneva-based aid organization as saying. The vast majority of the boat people have landed in Greece and Italy, while Spain and Malta have seen only small numbers of arrivals since January. The inflow into Greece has increased dramatically over the past months, creating a humanitarian crisis on overwhelmed Greek islands. -- SPA 22:16 LOCAL TIME 19:16 GMT تغريد