The number of people who have entered Cyprus illegal has increased by 213%, according to Frontex.
Specifically, some 16,000 – mostly from Bangladesh, Egypt and Tunisia – used the Central Mediterranean route.
More than 13,000 crossed via the Eastern Mediterranean, a 116% increase on last year.
Frontex said there were 86,420 irregular crossings into the 27-nation bloc in the first five months of the year, according to its initial calculations. In May alone, 23,500 irregular migrants made the journey, a rise of 75% on the previous May, it said.
The organization clarified that Ukrainians entering the EU via recognised border crossing points were not included in the data. Five and a half million Ukrainians have reached the EU directly from Ukraine or via Moldova since Russia invaded the country on February 24, Frontex said.
