Arrivals/Departure: In Greece, a ferry strike is on-going for the next 2 days. Travel to the mainland will not be possible thus the number of people present on the Greek islands is expected to increase causing possible congestion of reception facilities. However, compared to previous similar events (ferry strike of 4 December 2015), and given that the arrival rate to the islands is significantly lower, the impact is expected would be moderate.
Bottlenecks: According to the newly released Frontex report, between July and September 2015 more than 610,000 irregular border crossings by refugees and migrants from outside the region were registered at the South East Europe common and regional borders, demonstrating an increase of more than two times since data collection began six and a half years ago (between January 2009 and June 2015). Syrians and Afghans constituted the main nationalities, followed by Iraqis and Pakistanis. The number of African arrivals in the region rose by nearly 40% compared to the previous three-month period. According to the report, most refugees and migrants who crossed the borders in the South East Europe arrived on one of the Greek islands before continuing northwards through the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia.
Condition of People: In Greece, on the island of Lesvos,
UNHCR reports indicate that a child and woman died of hypothermia. In Norway, authorities began transporting refugees and migrants back to Russia.
Deaths at Sea: None reported
