Chios

The Greek islands are reaping the rewards of the seven-day "visa express" granted to Turkish citizens, with arrivals in the first 10 days of April tripling compared to last year.

The data presented exclusively by Kathimerini show indicatively that arrivals on Lesvos reached 3,800 compared to 390 in the corresponding period (April 1-10) in 2023.

Greece has recovered the bodies of three minors and rescued 19 migrants after their dinghy hit rocks at the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea near Turkey, the coastguard said on Wednesday.

Greece has been a favored gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015 when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands.

Greece rescued 14 migrants including eight children from a rocky shore on the island of Chios, the coastguard said on Wednesday, adding that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.

The migrants were believed to have reached the island in the Aegean Sea near Turkey on a dinghy, a coastguard official said. It was not immediately clear how many had been on board.

A coast guard patrol intercepted a speedboat carrying 22 migrants heading towards Greek shores in the southeastern maritime area of Chios island late Saturday.

The speedboat, carrying a total of 24 individuals (11 men, 7 women, 6 minors), was immobilized. Among those aboard, two individuals suspected of trafficking were arrested.

Signaling a return to the revisionist era before the February earthquakes last year, Turkey is restating its views regarding eastern Aegean Greek islands and linking Greece's sovereignty to their demilitarization.

A 53-year-old woman wanted for facilitating the entry of a non-EU citizen into Greece, was located by the police on Saturday while hiding in a specially designed vault in her home in Gerakas, East Attica. 

More than 250 individuals were arrested across Greece on Wednesday by the police. 

According to the police, officers took into account local operational plans and focused on areas with increased crime in an effort to improve public safety. 

From the 21,609 people that were checked, 733 individuals were brought into police stations and 282 people were arrested. 

Athens is gearing up to implement a one-year visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens visiting the Aegean islands, Greek and Turkish local media has reported.

The move comes following collaborative efforts aimed at fostering improved ties between the historically strained neighbors.

The number of migrant arrivals has increased in recent months for the first time in three years, so much so that although there were 4,881 persons staying at Reception and Identification Centers on the Greek islands in January, that number had more than doubled to 9,137 by the beginning of September.

Health and ambulance services on the islands are struggling to respond to increased needs with scarce capabilities in August for yet another summer. 

Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Samos and Chios have just one ambulance operating around the clock and a second operating a few days a month.