Over 1,800 immigrants arrive at Piraeus port as influx to Greece increases

More than 1,800 immigrants and refugees arrived at the port of Piraeus near Athens on Sunday morning from the Greek island of Lesvos.

The new wave of immigrants from Syria were trapped for a long time at the Greek island, due to a delay in the necessary paperwork at the port of Lesvos and in the reception centers where they were staying.

As soon as they reached Piraeus port, exhausted immigrants headed to Omonia Square in the center of Athens without having any shelter or any financial aid to go to a local hotel.

The influx of illegal migrants into Greece from the Turkish coasts continues to increase dramatically this year, according to the latest data from Greek authorities.

The situation is dramatic in many Greek islands, since they have no capacity to host the new waves of incoming migrants.

Authorities try to transform buildings and hotels to temporary settlements to accommodate them, otherwise the refugees have to sleep outdoors.

Over the last few months, Greece's Aegean islands have seen a significant rise in the number of refugees and economic migrants from Syria and Afghanistan.

In the first quarter of 2015, more than 40,000 immigrants and refugees were intercepted in the Aegean in comparison to 6,500 in the same period last year, according to latest figures released by the coast guard.

Only in Lesvos, 18,371 immigrants entered the island in the first five months of the year.

Since the fence at the Greek-Turkish border of Evros was constructed, illegal immigrants have turned to the maritime route between Turkey and the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, like Lesvos, Samos, Kos and Chios. Endit