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IFRC appeals for 3 mln Swiss Francs to assist migrants in Greece

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Wednesday launched a 3 million Swiss francs (3.09 million U.S. dollars) emergency appeal to assist thousands of migrants moving through Greece.

According to IFRC, in the first eight months of this year, the number of people arriving on Greek shores by boat has soared by 750 percent compared to last year's figures in the same period.

In August arrivals reported in Greece exceeded 200,000, mainly on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Kos and Samos where the Hellenic Red Cross volunteers have delivered food, water, hygiene kits and baby kits to over 2,400 people.

The emergency appeal will help the Red Cross reach 45,000 vulnerable migrants with food, water, hygiene kits and other essential goods. It will also support emergency health assistance, re-connecting family members and psychosocial support among other humanitarian activities.

"We are scaling up our response to meet the needs of the increasing number of people who are arriving in Greece on a daily basis," The IFRC head of country cluster for Western Europe Seija Tyrninoksa said. Endit