Almost as many migrants from North Africa have arrived in Italy so far this year compared with the total number in 2013, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

More than 3,000 people arrived by boat in Sicily over the weekend pushing the number of migrants who have reached Italian shores in 2014 to over 40,000 by the end of May.

However, the number of people who have died on the crossing has fallen dramatically.

Christiane Berthiaume, of the IOM, spoke to Nicki Chadwick about the upward trend.

(Duration 3’15”)