International

18 refugees drown off Turkish coast trying to reach Greece

Published

8 years ago

March 7, 2016

Tragedy struck at a Turkish coast as migrants numbering up to 18 drowned trying to reach Greece. The incident is the latest of humanitarian disaster to strike refugees trying to gain entry into Europe as coastguards launched a search-and-rescue mission to save the lives of other people believed to be missing in the mishap.

The incident occurred on a day the EU leaders prepared to meet to discuss the precarious situation of refugees on the Greek-Macedonia border, where it is reported that about 13,000 people are living in decrepit conditions as they wait for authorities to let them into Macedonia so they can move into Western Europe.

Read also: Greece: Fear grips migrants with new border controls

According to the UN High Comissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a humanitarian crisis was quickly unfolding at the border, with refugees living in makeshift camps and in the open, as authorities allow only 250 per day to pass through.

“It’s a wake-up call for the EU leaders, because this is a humanitarian crisis,” the UNHCR’s Babar Baloch said.
He said the situation at the border could not persist for long.

The situation is rapidly deteriorating, with more people arriving daily, observers said.

Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the Idomeni refugee centre on the Greek side of the border, said the bottleneck occurred suddenly and that Greek authorities were trying to open a reception centre to address the growing needs.

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