Leros

The government has started transferring the refugees and immigrants who are stranded at the Greek islands to temporary reception centers at mainland, while the first Turkish police officers arrived in Greece on Sunday based on the recent deal signed between EU and Turkey on stemming the refugee flow. About 18 more are expected to arrive within the day.

About 50 Afghan and Syrian refugees, who are staying at the passenger terminals in Piraeus port , started fighting each other over charging their mobile phones, while one refugee was slightly injured and two people were arrested.

Port authorities intervened and managed to separate the refugees.

The situation at the port of Piraeus is becoming increasingly unbearable, as large numbers of refugees and illegal immigrants are constantly arriving. Nearly 4,000 refugees and illegal immigrants are hosted at old warehouses turned into ad hoc living areas and open air camps with hundreds of tents.

The European Commission on Friday announced 3.5 million euros in emergency funding for Greece to cover the running costs for human resources in the First Reception Centres that will be set up on the Greek islands of Kos, Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Leros.

The number of refugees and immigrants arriving in Greece continues to rise, while thousands of people are forced to live under the worst and unhygienic conditions without food or place to sleep.

The refugees and immigrants who are stranded in Athens have set more than fifty tents in a park in the center of Greece’s capital since they are not allowed to continue their journey to northern Greece and then to other EU countries.

A four-year-old boy died on a boat crossing the Aegean Sea, the Greek coastguard said on Feb. 17, as the flow of refugees and migrants increased again after a brief lull.

Turkey challenges Greece’s sovereignty rights in the Aegean Sea, while the search operation for the three crew members of the Hellenic Navy’s helicopter that crashed is still in progress .

The operation is being conducted in the sea area between the islands of Leros and Amorgos.

The wreckage from the missing helicopter of Hellenic Navy was found at the islet of Kinaros on Thursday morning which had been missing since 2:45 am.

The two pilots and the radar operator who were on the helicopter have been officially declared missing. However, shortly after 11:00 authorities found one body.

Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader/Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was restricted from landing on the island of Kos where dozens of people are protesting at different parts of the island against the refugee crisis. But, he finally managed to land on a different location away from the protesters and despite the reactions of the residents.