The number is more than double what the U.N.'s refugee agency projected in February when Russia invaded the country. The vast majority of those who have already left are women and children.
"Our death rate is rising alarmingly," a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesperson says. Aid agencies continue rescue efforts off the shore of Libya, hoping to save anyone else who survived.
The record number headlined the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' annual "Global Trends" report published Wednesday, just a day before World Refugee Day.
The United Nations refugee agency set up a facility in Maicao near the Venezuelan border, providing help for more than 300 migrants. The facility aims to expand to meet the growing need.
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun captured the attention of the world in a series of social media posts pleading for asylum. Her family, who she claimed was abusive, has disowned her.
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun gained international attention when she locked herself in a Bangkok hotel room and tweeted that her family would kill her if she were deported to Saudi Arabia.
The way we offer assistance to people fleeing conflict no longer works, says Paul Spiegel, a former director of program management at the U.N. refugee agency. He has a few ideas about how to fix it.
At the end of 2015, 65.3 million people had fled conflict and persecution, the refugee agency says. That's one in every 113 people — or 24 people every minute. And very few found places to resettle.
The U.N. refugee agency has received less than half the $4.5 billion needed to help Syrians who have fled to neighboring countries. As conditions worsen, many are opting to risk the journey to Europe.
The refugees and migrants had tried to cross the frigid Mediterranean in open vessels without food and water. The estimate comes from the U.N. refugee agency, which spoke to survivors.
