Greece is one of the main ports of entry into the European Union for migrants and refugees fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Refugee traffic has soared over the past year because of the ongoing war in Syria. Arrivals by sea have increased owing to stricter controls on the Greek-Turkish northern land border.

In November, authorities in western Greece arrested four people — three Greeks and a foreign national — after 12 migrants, including four children, drowned while trying to reach Italy in an eight-metre (26-foot) fibreglass boat.

Source: www.nst.com