Greek officials fear rise in refugee arrivals after coup attempt in Turkey

Following the recent dramatic developments in Turkey, Greek authorities are on alert as they fear a possible increase in refugee arrivals.

According to Coast Guard officials, the failed coup attempt may urge many refugees to take advantage of the favorable weather conditions and cross over into Greece.

On Samos a boat carrying 22 refugees arrived on Saturday – the first in many days – which has caused major concerns among local businesses, particularly in tourism, who fear that tourist arrivals will drop. The flow of refugees to Lesvos has increased, with a total of 54 arriving on Sunday and Monday morning, raising the refugee population on the Aegean island to 3,014.

The Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body has announced that are currently 57,258 refugees in Greece, with 6,575 of them on the Aegean islands – 3,014 on Lesvos, 2,480 on Chios and 1,081 on Samos.