160,000 migrants have landed in Greece over the past 7 months

Video. 160,000 migrants have landed in Greece over the past 7 months

The number of migrants that arrived in Greece via the Mediterranean sea last week nearly equalled half the figure for the whole of 2014, bringing the total for this year to 160,000. This has strained the ill-prepared systems put in place to receive the migrants, which rely heavily on volunteers. Syrians have been granted priority, as they are considered refugees due to the civil war in their country. Arrivals from other countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, regarded as economic migrants, are camping out in filthy conditions, which have lead to sporadic clashes and brawls. A spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee protection agency, UNHCR in Geneva, said that Greece needed to show “much more leadership” in dealing with the crisis.

The number of migrants that arrived in Greece via the Mediterranean sea last week nearly equalled half the figure for the whole of 2014, bringing the total for this year to 160,000. This has strained the ill-prepared systems put in place to receive the migrants, which rely heavily on volunteers. Syrians have been granted priority, as they are considered refugees due to the civil war in their country. Arrivals from other countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, regarded as economic migrants, are camping out in filthy conditions, which have lead to sporadic clashes and brawls. A spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee protection agency, UNHCR in Geneva, said that Greece needed to show “much more leadership” in dealing with the crisis.