Greece: 8 refugees sent back to Turkey

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS

Greece has sent eight Syrian refugees to Turkey on Wednesday after they gave up their right to asylum.

A special flight was chartered by Frontex and the eight refugees flew by Astra Airlines to Adana, southern Turkey, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).

Meanwhile, refugees continue to enter the Greek waters from the Aegean sea.

On Wednesday, the Greek coast guards rescued 70 refugees and migrants in an inflatable dinghy in off the coast of the Kos island, reported the state new agency AMNA. The migrants, who came from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, were transferred to a reception center.

In the last 24 hours, a total of 44 refugees and migrants have arrived at the Lesvos island.

Another 4,045 people are stranded on Lesvos after the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement. More specifically, 3,072 are found on Chios and 1,058 on Samos.

A total of 8,175 refugees and migrants are trapped on the islands of northern Aegean, AMNA has reported.

The EU-Turkey deal, signed on March 18, aims to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea.