"The pace of arrivals has been steadily increasing in recent weeks," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva.
The total has now passed 160,000 since the beginning of the year.
Between 1 January and 14 August, 158,456 refugees and migrants crossed the Aegean from Turkey to the Greek islands, while another 1,716 came over the land border, the UN refugee agency said.
Last month alone, 50,242 arrived in Greece, outnumbering all arrivals in 2014, Mr Spindler said.
More than eight out of ten were Syrians fleeing their country's civil war, he said, adding that Afghans made up 14% of the wave and Iraqis 3%.
This, he said, confirms "that the overwhelming majority of arrivals are likely to qualify for refugee status".
Until recently, most migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe travelled to Italy, but dangers and logistical difficulties have in recent months shifted the flood increasingly towards Greece.
But when they arrive on Greek islands facing Turkey there is little if anything for them and most have been forced to sleep outdoors in squalid conditions, and tensions have been running high.
The Greek island of Kos, which last week saw chaotic scenes of overwhelmed police beating migrants with truncheons and spraying them with fire extinguishers at a sports stadium where they were gathered, has come to symbolise Europe's shambolic response to the refugee crisis.
"For months, UNHCR has been warning of a mounting refugee crisis on the Greek islands," Mr Spindler said, insisting the "reception infrastructure, services and registration procedures both on the islands and on the mainland need to be strengthened urgently".
The debt-ravaged country is taking steps to address the problem, but has said the huge influx is too much for it to handle alone and has pleaded for more EU help.
Mr Spindler agreed that Europe needed to do more.
"Rather than dealing with the situation on one island, we need to deal with the situation in the whole region, not just Greece," he said, claiming that "the vast majority" of the migrants aimed to travel on to northern Europe.
Mr Spindler acknowledged that Greece lacks resources, but insisted the authorities needed to do more to organise the response.
"The government of Greece has the responsibility of what happens on its territory. We are ready to help them... but they need to show much more leadership," he said.
rte.ie
18/8/15
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Related:
Nearly 21,000 migrants arrived in Greece last week (UN)
Chaos in Kos: Greece on the frontline of migrant crisis (video Al Jazeera)
Greece urged to do more to take care of migrants
UN agency boosting presence on Greek islands to deal with spike in refugee arrivals
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Grèce: hausse dramatique du nombre de migrants, le pays sommé par l'ONU de les aider...
ReplyDeletePrès de 21.000 migrants sont arrivés la semaine dernière par la mer dans les îles grecques, fuyant la guerre, la violence et la misère en Syrie, Irak ou Afghanistan, a averti l'ONU mardi, demandant aux autorités grecques de leur venir en aide en urgence malgré la grave crise économique que traverse le pays.
En une semaine, indique le Haut-commissariat pour les réfugiés, il y a eu autant d'arrivées en Grèce que sur 6 mois en 2014, année durant laquelle 43.500 migrants au total étaient arrivés dans ce pays..............http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/grece-hausse-dramatique-du-nombre-de-migrants-le-pays-somme-par-l-onu-de-les-aider-747052.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RTLInternational+%28RTL+info+%3E++Monde%29
18/8/15
UN: Greece Must Take Charge in Refugee Crisis ...
ReplyDeleteThe United Nations told Greece it must show "much more leadership" in tackling the escalating crisis of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
"The number of refugee arrivals to Greece which have been increasing dramatically and have now reached the 160,000 mark and this is as of the 14th of August," William Spindler of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said at a Geneva news briefing on Tuesday.
To underscore the deadly risks migrants are taking to reach Europe, six Syrian migrants, including an infant, drowned off the Turkish coast Tuesday as they tried to reach the Greek island of Kos.
Responsibility to do more
The UNHCR on Tuesday said the Greek government has a responsibility to do more, and the European Union must also support Athens.
"If the (Greek) central authority would come up with a leadership ambition and appoint somebody who would coordinate this response, then we and other international organizations would be ready to come and help. But it is difficult for us, if there is, to start working on the ground if we don't have somebody who is in charge," the UNHCR’s Spindler said..............http://www.voanews.com/content/german-red-cross-to-distribute-aid-to-migrants-in-greece/2922213.html
18/8/15