More than 500 migrants arrived at the port of Lavrio, near Athens, on Sunday after being intercepted by Greek authorities south of the island of Crete. The incident comes amid emergency measures taken by Greece to deal with the growing number of migrants arriving by sea from Libya, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
The migrants, mostly young men, were transferred overnight aboard a bulk carrier after their fishing trawler was intercepted by Greek authorities. Assisted by official ships, they were transported to the mainland port, from where they will be transferred to detention centers near the capital.
Their transfer to the mainland was necessitated because temporary reception centers on the island of Crete are already full. Since the weekend, about 500 new migrants have been arriving there daily.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that the country was temporarily suspending the processing of asylum applications from migrants arriving by sea from North Africa for a period of three months. The decision is aimed primarily at arrivals in Crete and comes amid diplomatic tensions between the European Union and Libya over cooperation on migration.
Earlier this week, EU officials were barred from entering eastern Libya due to disagreements over the format of planned talks to curb the flow of migrants.
Local authorities in Crete warn they are facing serious difficulties in providing basic services to the new arrivals, who mostly come from countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco. Accommodation is being provided under temporary conditions and with limited resources.