Greece struggles with massive migrant influx

ROME: Greece received more boat arrivals than any other European country in the first half of 2015, with about 101,000 migrants arriving on Greek shores between Jan. 1 and July 17, according to the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. More than 31,000 migrants arrived in Greece by boat in June alone, the data showed. Given the deep economic crisis that Greece is facing, it cannot be assumed that Greece can cope with this alone. The EU and its member states should urgently deploy humanitarian resources such as emergency funding and material assistance to support Greece in responding to the basic needs of newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers, said Stathis Kyroussis, MSF’s Head of Mission in Greece.
Meanwhile, more than 1,200 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and Syria, arrived in Sicily on Saturday, after having been picked up in the Mediterranean, the Italian coast guard said.
Most of the migrants — including 133 women and 27 children — arrived in Palermo after being picked up off the Libyan coast by the Norwegian cargo ship Siem Pilot, which is part of a voluntary EU border security operation.
Another 468 were taken to the southeastern Sicilian town of Pozzallo aboard the Irish navy patrol ship Le Niamh.
Italy and Greece have been hard pressed to handle a massive increase in migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
More than 1,900 migrants have died this year making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe, out of around 150,000 people who have made the crossing, the International Organization for Migration said earlier this month.