Hellenic Navy ship transfers over 500 migrants from Symi to Piraeus

Roughly 500 migrants and refugees that arrived on the island of Symi in the last days were on Tuesday transferred to the port of Piraeus in a Hellenic Navy vessel.

The presence of the migrants and refugees had provoked huge problems on the island, which lacks any reception facilities. The foreign nationals had camped outside the local police station and coast guard building, in the streets and in other places around the island.

The mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, had complained to the relevant ministries, which made arrangements to send a Greek navy vessel to collect and transfer the foreign nationals to Piraeus.