Two refugees attempt to commit suicide in central Athens square

Two young refugees attempted to commit suicide in a central Athens square on Thursday, local media reported, as thousands of people aspiring a better future in northern Europe remain stranded in Greece for several days following the recent tightening of border controls in many European states.

The two men, aged 25, used clothes to make a noose and tried to hang themselves from a tree on Victoria square, in the center of the Greek capital, according to Greek news portal "in.gr" which cited eye witnesses.

They were saved by the intervention of other refugees and volunteers who alerted authorities.

Both were transferred to hospitals to be treated for shock, according to Health Ministry sources.

Their nationalities have still not been clarified. According to some eye witnesses the two men are Syrians, while others said that they are Pakistani nationals.

About a hundred people from the thousands who fled war zones and poverty and entered Greece via Turkey over the past few days have set up a camp on Victoria square, which in recent months has become an unofficial stopover for refugees arriving in Athens from the islands on their journey to central and northern Europe.

As the official reception centers set up by the Greek government across Athens, the islands and northern Greece are overcrowded this week with 20,000 people remaining stranded in the country, according to police estimates, several refugees sleep on the grass seeking ways to reach their destination through alternate paths.

Smugglers who approach the refugees in Victoria request on average 3,000 euros (about 3,300 U.S. dollars) per person these days to help them illegally cross into Albania, according to local SKAI television, as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has banned entrance to Afghans since the weekend and allows only a small percentage of Syrians and Iraqis to cross over.

Greek police was notified that only 100 people will be allowed to enter Macedonia on Thursday, while 3,000 are already near the border crossing.

In addition, hundreds are still trying to reach the borderline even covering some 250 km on foot, although most of the refugees are turned away this week and are transferred by buses to reception centers.

More than one million refugees and migrants have reached Greece through Turkey over the past year.

As Europe is still divided on how to stem the influx and face the challenge, several countries lately have introduced restrictions in movement. Endit