Ferry with 2,500 Syrian refugees reaches Greece's Piraeus port

A ferry carrying about 2,500 Syrian refugees from the Greek islands of Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Lesvos reached the port of Piraeus on Thursday, as part of efforts to ease the unprecedented influx of undocumented migrants reaching the Greek islands from Turkey this summer.

Most refugees are seeking to continue their trip by train or bus to northern Greece and through neighboring Balkan countries to Northern Europe.

The ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" was chartered by the Greek government last week to accommodate a few hundred immigrants during their identification process at Kos. It was expected to return to the eastern Aegean to transfer more migrants and refugees, as local authorities do not have sufficient human resources and infrastructure to deal with the emergency.

According to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 20,000 people entered Greece illegally in only week. In July, the number stood at more than 50,000 people, more than the total number of arrivals in all of last year.

In the first seven months of 2015, more than 156,000 migrants and refugees reached Greece hoping for a better life in Europe, according to the Greek Police. Eight out of ten are Syrian refugees.

The government has been strongly criticized for its insufficient response recently, but both Greek and foreign officials have acknowledged that the debt-laden country cannot address the challenge on its own.

The current situation on the islands has been described as dramatic, chaotic, and shameful.

People arriving in rubber dinghies are camping on beaches, in parks, at local stadiums, and in derelict hotels.

They are without adequate medical assistance, food, and water during the days-long wait in the queue to go through the necessary identification process to continue their trip to the mainland and then Western Europe.

The situation does not improve dramatically once they reach Athens. The country does not have adequate facilities to accommodate them. Currently, it can provide shelter and basic assistance in special hospitality settlements to only 1,100 people.

A refugee camp was created over the past two weeks to house about 500 mostly Afghans who had been camping in tents in a central Athens park for more than a month.

The hospitality center at the Athens district of Eleonas can accommodate more than 700 people, but only 200 have moved in. Most of the refugees want to continue their journey as soon as possible to other European countries.

European Union partners have promised recently to help relocate thousands of refugees from southern Europe to other member states over the next two years and, in addition, to provide financial aid to Greece, Italy, and other countries to deal with the challenge. Endit