The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on September 29 that it estimates that about 522 000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe by sea since the beginning of 2015.
The United Nations told Greece it must show "much more leadership" in
tackling the escalating crisis of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday said a huge influx of migrants and refugees "surpassed" his debt-hit country's abilities as he announced a raft of measures and asked for EU help to handle the crisis.
The refugee crisis on three Greek islands near Turkey is "total chaos", the UN refugee agency UNHCR says.
They arrive full of hope and ambition to idyllic Greek islands, having fled war and other perils. However, once in Athens the migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan discover a country in crisis with little to offer them.
UN, 10 July 2015 – Close to 1,000 refugees are now arriving on the Greek islands every day, creating an unprecedented emergency for Greece and other countries, the UN refugee agency warned on Friday.
UN,
16 June 2015 – More than 55,000 refugees have arrived in the Greek
islands so far this year, with hundreds arriving every day in inflatable
dinghies and wooden boats, putting a “tremendous strain” on the
communities that receive them and worsening conditions for the new
arrivals, the United Nations refugee agency said today.