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Refugee arrivals to Greece increase dramatically: UNHCR

Xinhua, August 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday warned the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece is accelerating dramatically and has now reached the 160,000 mark.

According to the latest figures by UNHCR in Greece, the number of sea arrivals from Jan. 1 to Aug. 14 is 158,456.

During the same period, 1,716 refugees and migrants entered Greece through its land border with Turkey, bringing the total number of arrivals (sea and land) to 160,172.

William Spindler, UNHCR spokesperson said that the pace of arrivals has been steadily increasing in recent weeks. More refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during the month of July (50,242) than during the whole of last year (43,500).

The spokesperson noted last week a total of 20,843 people arrived by sea in Greece, almost half as many as during the whole of 2014, adding the vast majority of arrivals were Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis.

The latest figures from Greece bring the total number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year to some 264,500, including 158,456 to Greece, approximately 104,000 to Italy, 1,953 to Spain and 94 to Malta.

For months, UNHCR has been warning of a mounting refugee crisis on the Greek islands. Spindler stressed that the reception infrastructure, services and registration procedures both on the islands and on the mainland need to be strengthened urgently.

He recommended Greek authorities designate a single body to coordinate an emergency response and set up an adequate humanitarian assistance mechanism. European countries should support Greece on these efforts. Endit