Refugee Arrivals to Greek Islands Jump to HighestiIn Weeks

Greek, 29 Dzulqa’dah 1437/1 September 2016  (MINA) – Some 462 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands from Turkey on Tuesday, the highest number in several weeks.

The arrivals, between Monday and Tuesday this week, were up from 149 the previous day. Most arrived on the islands of Lesbos and Kos, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported.

During the same period 6,500 migrants and refugees were saved off the Libyan coast on their way to Italy.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said it recorded a rise in arrivals toward the end of August but it was too early to say if there had been a change in trends.

“So far it does not look like that but we are following the situation very closely,” UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a UN briefing in Geneva.

According to UNHCR, an average 100 people a day arrived on Greek islands from Turkey in August, up from 60 in July.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said 2,808 people arrived in Greece through to 28 August, the largest monthly number since April. (T/P008/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)