Almost 500 undocumented migrants were transferred over the weekend from the island of Samos, in the eastern Aegean, to the mainland aboard two Greek Navy vessels.
The transfer was part of a broader initiative aimed at transferring some of the migrant burden from island camps to facilities on the mainland.
Samos has become an increasingly popular destination in recent months, resulting in severe overcrowding at the main reception center near the island’s port of Vathy.
Last week the Greek Migration Ministry approved the creation of a new reception center, some six kilometers from Vathy.
On Monday, the Greek Coast Guard rescued forty-two migrants aboard a dinghy in the sea region of northeast of Prassos, Samos island.
The migrants were transferred to the Greek port of Karlovasi.