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UN Data: 2021 Saw Fewer Migrants Reach Greek Islands

Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
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UN Data: 2021 Saw Fewer Migrants Reach Greek Islands

Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS

The number of refugees and migrants arriving on Greece's East Aegean islands in 2021 hit its lowest level since the start of the refugee crisis in the Aegean some nine years ago.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Thursday, 4,109 people crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands last year. This compares to 9,714 the year before and just under 60,000 in 2019. At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, 856,723 people crossed.

The Greek coastguard has been controlling the sea border with Turkey very strictly since 2019, dpa reported.

Human rights organizations complain that there are illegal pushbacks to Turkey. Athens repeatedly states that its security forces protect European borders in accordance with international law.

Because of these tight controls in the straits between Turkey and the Greek islands, smugglers and migrants have increasingly opted for new routes.

Around 11,000 people are said to have managed to reach Italy in recent months on a route from Turkey through the Aegean and Ionian seas. There are no official figures on how many people have died in the process, but the number is believed to be large.

In December alone, at least 30 people drowned on this route, according to the Greek coastguard.

Because of the long journey through the Mediterranean Sea south or north of Crete, according to the Greek coastguard, there are often engine failures or leaks on the often outdated boats that smuggling gangs sell to people.

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‘Bomb Cyclone' Knocks Out Power to Over 600,000 Across Northwest US, Killing 1

A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image November 19, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS
A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image November 19, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS
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‘Bomb Cyclone' Knocks Out Power to Over 600,000 Across Northwest US, Killing 1

A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image November 19, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS
A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image November 19, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS

A major storm swept across the northwest US Tuesday evening, battering the region with strong winds and rain and causing widespread power outages and downed trees that killed at least one person, The Associated Press reported.

The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect as the strongest atmospheric river — a large plume of moisture — that California and the Pacific Northwest has seen this season overwhelms the region. The storm system is considered a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly.

Downed trees struck homes and littered roads across northwest Washington. In Lynnwood, Washington, a woman died Tuesday night when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, South County Fire said in a statement on X. In Seattle, a tree fell onto a vehicle, temporarily trapping a person inside, the Seattle Fire Department reported. The agency later said the individual was in stable condition.
“Trees are coming down all over the city & falling onto homes,” the fire department in Bellevue, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Seattle, posted on the social platform X. "If you can, go to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Do not go outside if you can avoid it."
Early Wednesday, over 600,000 houses in Washington State were reported to be without power on poweroutage.us. But the number of outage reports fluctuated wildly throughout the evening likely due in part to several weather and utility agencies struggling to report information on the storm because of internet outages and other technical problems. It wasn’t clear if that figure was accurate. More than 15,000 had lost power in Oregon and nearly 19,000 in California.
As of 8 p.m., the peak wind speed was in Canadian waters, where gusts of 101 mph (163 kph) were reported off the coast of Vancouver Island, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle. Along the Oregon coast, there were wind gusts as high at 79 mph (127 kph) Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon, while wind speed of 77 mph (124 kph) was recorded at Mount Rainier in Washington.
Winds were expected to increase in western Washington throughout the evening, the weather service said.
The national Weather Service warned people on the West Coast about the danger of trees during high winds, posting on X, “Stay safe by avoiding exterior rooms and windows and by using caution when driving.”
In northern California, flood and high wind watches were in effect, with up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain predicted for parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, North Coast and Sacramento Valley. Dangerous flash flooding, rock slides and debris flows were expected, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
A winter storm watch was issued for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), where 15 inches (28 centimeters) of snow was possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph (120 kph) in mountain areas, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for parts of southwestern Oregon through Friday evening, while rough winds and seas halted a ferry route in northwestern Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.
A blizzard warning was issued for the majority of the Cascades in Washington, including Mount Rainier National Park, starting Tuesday afternoon, with up to a foot of snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph), according to the weather service in Seattle. Travel across passes could be difficult if not impossible.