Scores of migrants continue to land on Greek islands where reception centers are already at overcapacity. Fights break out regularly among the migrants, while traffickers seem to have tricked 69 migrants into thinking they had already arrived in Italy.
Greece's eastern Aegean islands are buckling under the burden of dealing with the continued influx of migrants from Turkey as conditions remain extremely difficult at overcrowded refugee camps. While departures continue to move at a snail's pace due to the sheer backlog of numbers, more and more boats continue to arrive on Greek shores with the hot summer temperatures encouraging smugglers.
Authorities under pressure, centers at overcapacity
According to the latest figures released by the government, an average of between 80 and 90 migrants are landing on the islands on a daily basis. And although the numbers are a fraction of the thousands that were arriving at the peak of the refugee crisis in 2015, it means that the pressure on local authorities and aid workers on the islands is still sky high, especially during this peak tourism season. The two reception centers on Lesvos are designed to host a maximum of 3,500, while they are currently hosting 4,381. Things are even worse on neighboring Chios, which is hosting double its capacity with 2,204 staying in camps built to host only 1,100. Samos is in the most difficult situation, with 2,879 people staying in facilities designed for just 850 people. All of this has led to frequent demonstrations protesting the slow progress of asylum applications, while rival ethnic groups get into fights and refugees and riot police occasionally clash as well.
Migrants duped by traffickers
Meanwhile, in the Ionian Sea, 69 migrants from Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan landed at Zakynthos on a trafficking boat. Local media reports say that the migrants disembarked in the early hours of Tuesday after being told by the smugglers that they had arrived in Italy. Local authorities were alerted to their presence. Most of the local population was awake at that time due to wildfires burning on the island. Among the refugees were 15 children and two pregnant women.They were transferred to a local indoor leisure center where they were given first aid, food and clothing.