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Migrant arrivals to Greece rise sharply despite EU-Turkey deal
A refugee walks among tents at a makeshift camp for refugees and migrants at the port of Piraeus, Greece, March 30, 2016. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
30/03/2016
ATHENS (Reuters) - Arrivals of refugees and migrants to Greece from Turkey rose sharply on Wednesday, just over a week since the European Union and Turkey struck a deal intended to cut off the flow.
Greek authorities recorded 766 new arrivals between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, up from 192 the previous day. Most arrived on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.
The EU Commission said on Tuesday that the flows in the last week had reduced, with only 1,000 people arriving from Turkey on Greek islands, compared to an average of 2,000 a day in the last couple of months.
It was not clear why numbers had dropped, but the Aegean Sea had been hit with bad weather and gale force winds, making the journey from Turkey on small rubber boats even more dangerous.
Under the deal in effect since March 20, migrants and refugees who arrive in Greece will be subject to being sent back once they have been registered and their individual asylum claim processed. The returns are to begin from April 4.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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