UN Urges EU To Step In And Help Greece With Migrant Crisis

The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday that Greece urgently needed help to cope with 1,000 migrants arriving each day and called on the European Union (EU) to step in before the humanitarian situation deteriorates further.

More than 77,000 people have arrived by sea to Greece so far this year, more than 60 percent of them Syrians, with others fleeing Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia, it said.

“The volatile economic situation, combined with the increasing numbers of new arrivals, is putting severe strain on small island communities,” William Spindler of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told a briefing.

Local authorities on islands including Lesvos, where the situation is “particularly dire”, are unable to handle the massive flow, he said, while noting that most refugees move on through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary after registering with Greek police.

“We would expect the EU to activate its emergency response because Greece is part of the European Union. This is happening in Europe, on the doorstep of Europe,” Spindler said. “Greece urgently needs help and we expect Europe to step forward.”

An estimated 150,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea so far in 2015, most of them in Greece and Italy, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. More than 1,900 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean, twice the toll during the period last year, spokesman Joel Millman said.

Twelve migrants died on Thursday when their overcrowded rubber dinghy sank off the coast of Libya, the Italian Coast Guard said, while some 500 were rescued in the latest episodes in the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

“We are concerned there may be other bodies recovered today and over the weekend,” Millman said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Hugh Lawson; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click here for Restrictions

Disclaimer :
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

Latest Shipping News You Would Like:

55 Chinese Sailors Presumed Dead After Nuclear Submarine Became Trapped Underwater, According To Sources

Posted on October 4, 2023

According to Western intelligence estimates, 55 Chinese sailors were killed when a nuclear submarine became stuck underwater, however, China denies this.

All Three Of Ukraine’s Major Black Sea Ports Have Reopened To Ships

Posted on October 4, 2023

Despite Russian threats to attack ships sailing to Ukrainian ports, all three of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports have reopened to grain exporting ships.

Four In Court Regarding A €157 million Cocaine Seizure From A Cargo Vessel

Posted on October 4, 2023

In connection with last week’s €157 million narcotics seizure off the Cork Coast, four individuals have made court appearances and have been appropriately charged.

World’s Largest Cruise Ship “Icon Of The Seas” Will Make its Debut in January 2024

Posted on October 4, 2023

The largest cruise ship in the world, the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas, is nearly finished at Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard.

Remains Of US Navy Sailor Killed In The Pearl Harbor Attack Identified After 80+ Years

Posted on October 4, 2023

Officials reported this week that a US Navy man killed in the WWII attack on Pearl Harbor has been identified, over 80 years after his death.