Greek coast guard intercepts 237 illegal migrants

A total of 237 undocumented migrants and three human traffickers were intercepted in the eastern Aegean Sea islands, the Greek coast guard said.

The number of immigrants entering Greece this year is expected to triple in comparison with 2013 to some 30,000 people, Greek Shipping Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told parliament Friday.

Varvitsiotis attributed the increased flow to the ongoing crisis in Syria and the atrocities of jihadis, Xinhua reported.

Thousands of undocumented migrants attempt to enter Greece illegally each year, aided by trafficking networks, hoping to end up in western European countries.

Hundreds lose their lives in sea tragedies.

Greece and other southern European countries have been requesting more support from the other European nations through financial and technical resources to address the mounting challenge and share the economic and social burden fairly.