Fighting, new routes drive surge of refugees to Europe

GENEVA — Refugees have for years taken death-defying trips across the Mediterranean to reach Europe, but the flow has hit record proportions this year — notably with an influx of Syrians, Afghans and Eritreans fleeing war, repression or poverty back home.

Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have absorbed the lion’s share of Syrians fleeing their war-torn homeland, with roughly 4 million amassed in refugee camps and communities in those countries.

Intensifying war: A recent spike in brutal warfare inside Syria has combined with the deteriorating conditions in neighboring countries to spur Syrians to flee.

The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says some 7.6 million people have been displaced by fighting inside Syria between President Bashar Assad’s forces and rebel groups, including the Islamic State group and the al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front.

Slumping international aid is contributing to despair in the refugee camps, spurring them on to Europe.

Western diplomats in Geneva and UNHCR officials note a recent phenomenon in which many Syrians have bypassed giant refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.