The figure is far below the thousands who arrived daily at the height of the massive wave of migration seen past year, but is triple the daily average in July. The coast guard said all were in good health.
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More than 10,000 migrants are now being held on islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos – the bulk of whom are fleeing violence and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
They received suspended sentences in Greece for illegally entering the country, and are due for asylum application interviews Friday.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greek authorities have returned to neighboring Turkey 14 migrants over the past two days, bringing to almost 500 the total of people sent back under this year’s deal between the European Union and Turkey.
Save the Children said that the average number of refugees and migrants arriving daily in Greece is at its highest since May and that this is “causing serious congestion in the camps on the islands and putting children at risk”.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said this week that more than 40,000 state employees had been detained in the purge, with 20,335 remanded in custody. The charity Save the Children has said they are living in “dirty, unsafe conditions. with no end in sight”.
Greece is reported to be planning new shelters, to help ease increasing pressure on overcrowded migrant camps.
It is the first time migrants reach Greece’s most touristic island, showing new trends as mid-August is the first time after March’s EU – Turkey statement that migrant arrivals seem to be spiking again at the last few hours. Ankara’s draconian measures have led to a souring of relations with Brussels, and Turkey has threatened to torpedo the migration deal on several occasions if its demands are not met.
Earlier Wednesday, the coast guard rescued 59 migrants in an inflatable dinghy in rough weather to the south, off the island of Kos. It was not immediately clear what type of boat it was, from where they had set sail where they were headed.
Coast guard vessels picked up the migrants Friday morning, ferrying them to the mainland where they were to be registered.
With many islands close to the Turkish coast, Greece has been the main entry point into the European Union for hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees hoping for better lives in Europe, especially in the continent’s more prosperous central and northern nations.
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Hundreds have died attempting one such route from the North African coast to Italy, known to be particularly perilous.
