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Turkiye-Greece migrants: 38 people found stranded on tiny, unnamed island

August 16, 2022 at 8:19 pm

A Hellenic coast guard rescues refugees and migrants [ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images]

A group of 38 migrants, including a heavily pregnant woman, were stranded for more than a month along the Turkish-Greek border, local Greek media reports.

According to the report, the 22 men, nine women and seven children say they have been on the Evros River islet since mid-July.

Greek Migration Minister said the group were all in “very good condition” and the pregnant woman had been taken to hospital as a precaution.

Irregular migrants pushed back by Greece - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

Irregular migrants pushed back by Greece – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

In the same refugee group, a five-year-old refugee girl died after being stung by a scorpion while trapped on an uninhabited island between the Greek and Turkish border.

Since the outbreak of the refugee crisis in 2011, both Turkish and Greek authorities have been blaming each other. There had been some uncertainty over the group’s location and, therefore, over whether Turkiye or Greece should have stepped in to help.

Some refugees say they have been forcibly returned to Turkish waters, the report says.

The Greek government has always denied these claims and insists it complies with European and international law.

Between January and June 2022, 232 Syrians arrived in Greece by sea, according to the UN.

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