Migration flows doubled in the Evros region at the Greek-Turkish borders in the last 24 hours hours with the biggest pressure to be recorded in the areas of Tychero and Ferres.
According to daily kathimerini, police intercepted more than 400 people in the border areas of Tychero and Ferres within 24 hours.
The influx was significantly greater than in previous days, around 100% when compared to previous days, when border guards stopped between 200 and 250 asylum seekers daily.
Citing police sources, kathimerini notes that the majority of the migrants have come to the borders from Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Greek authorities evaluate reports according to which large groups of migrants, numbering between 500 and 1,000, are heading toward Turkey’s Aegean coastline.
However, aircraft (three aircraft and one helicopter) monitoring Turkish shores as part of an operation by the European Union’s border agency Frontex have not confirmed these reports.
However, the reports that “a number of migrants moving to the Turkish coast, opposite Mytilene, Kos, Farmakonisi and elsewhere” have caused concern to the Greek Coast Guard. Officials of the GCG have revealed to the daily that “they have been on alert for the past two days.”
In the last 15 days or so, the attempts of illegal immigrants to sail to Greek islands have averaged three to four.
At the same time, it is has been found out that larger boats are being used by traffickers – possibly for security reasons and to increase the number of passengers per route by 10 to 15 people.
Sources at the Citizens’ Protection Ministry in Athens attribute the recent rise in arrivals to the onset of summer, when traffickers traditionally increase their activity, rather than to any organized push such as that in early March, kathimerini notes.
