Over the course of three days, Greece’s coastguard managed to rescue nearly 2,500 refugees and migrants off its eastern islands. The flow of people attempting to cross over into Europe continues to grow, and shows no signs of slowing.
Greece has recently seen a surge in refugees arriving in small boats from Turkey. Aid agencies estimate that approximately 2,000 migrants and refugees have crossed over each day this month. Most are from areas of conflict, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Over the past week, the numbers of migrants picked up by the coastguard has been steadily increasing, and numbers over the last three days are significantly higher than those seen throughout the summer.
Any migrant boats intercepted in Greek waters are considered rescues, even if the vessels are not in any kind of danger.
Greece’s coastguard went on hiatus from rescuing migrants and refugees for a few days last week, but resumed operations on Saturday. The authorities continued ferrying refugees from Syria to Greece’s mainland, and the largest group of 2,500 refugees landed at the port of Piraeus early on Monday.
Most of the refugees are expected to make their way over to the Macedonian border as they journey into northern Europe. Large crowds are expected to form at the border in the coming days as a result.
Tensions at the Greek-Macedonian reached its peak this month after the Macedonian police fired stun grenades and teargas at large, angry crowds. Overwhelmed by the crowds at the border, Macedonian authorities eventually gave up, and are now allowing refugees to cross the border.
Conditions at the border are calm for now, but tensions could flare up again if Hungary makes the decision to close its borders. The country has been scrambling to reinforce its borders to cope with the influx of migrants. Hungary plans to tighten its migration laws and may set up holding camps outside the border near Serbia.
Over 300,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year in an attempt to flee from conflict-ridden areas. Nearly 108,500 have arrived in Italy, and 181,500 have arrived in Greece.