The Greek government was set to hold talks Wednesday on the huge numbers of migrants landing on its shores, as 4,300 more people arrived in Athens overnight, most of them Syrian refugees.
Two ships carrying the latest arrivals docked at Athens’ Piraeus Port after sailing from Lesbos, one of several Greek islands struggling to cope with the huge waves of people crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey in flimsy boats, AFP reported.
About 1,800 people arrived on the Greek mainland on Tuesday evening, with another 2,500 landing at dawn, port police said, adding that they had been taken to a nearby train station.
The ships were chartered by the Greek government to help relieve pressure on Lesbos, whose authorities and infrastructure are ill-equipped to deal with the huge influx of people.
More than 160,000 people have arrived in Greece this year, most of them fleeing war in the Middle East, as Europe grapples with its biggest migration crisis since World War II.
For many, Athens will be merely the first stop in a grueling land journey north through the Balkans in a bid to reach Hungary, a key entry point into Europe.
Protests at Budapest Station
Hundreds of migrants protested in front of Budapest’s Keleti Railway Terminus for a second straight day on Wednesday, shouting “Freedom, freedom!” and demanding to be let onto trains bound for Germany from a station that has been closed to them.
More than 2,000 migrants, including families with children, were waiting in the square at the station while Hungarians with IDs and foreigners with valid passports could board the trains.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war and economic migrants escaping poverty have been arriving in Europe, on rickety boats across the Mediterranean and over land across the Balkan Peninsula.
