US to offer US$24 mln in assistance for European refugees

The U.S. announced on Friday that it will provide humanitarian assistance worth nearly 24 million U.S. dollars to help refugees and migrants in Europe, the U.S. State Department said.

The new humanitarian assistance will be received by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to a State Department's press release.

The assistance will help refugees and migrants, "especially those in Greece, the Balkans, and other parts of Europe," who are bracing for the onset of winter.

The UNHCR will provide "food, water, temporary shelter, as well as establishing areas to screen and process arriving refugees and migrants," the press release said.

According to International Organisation for Migration(IOM), the number of migrant and refugee arrivals in Europe this year standed at 868,282.

IOM figures also showed that 3,551 individuals have lost their lives while attempting to reach Europe's main entry points including Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta. 
  Xinhua - china.org.cn
5/12/15