Migrant crisis: Call for state of emergency on Greece Macedonia border

A regional governor in northern Greece has called for a state of emergency to be imposed on the border with Macedonia as the migrant crisis grows.

   Apostolos Tzitzikostas, governor of Greece's Central Macedonia region, said the number of migrants on the frontier had grown to at least 13,000. A state of emergency would facilitate aid supplies, Greek media report.

   Earlier, the EU's top migration official warned Greece could be "overwhelmed" by the crisis. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the commissioner for migration, told the BBC other states needed to support his country. "Greece is overrun, is overwhelmed by all these flows," he said.

   The migrants, most of whom entered Greece illegally by sea from Turkey, are seeking asylum in other EU states to the north. Many are living in flimsy tents since they became stranded around the Idomeni border crossing, after EU countries re-imposed internal border controls and Macedonia sharply reduced the numbers allowed to cross.

   More than 125,000 people have arrived on Greek shores so far this year, close to 12 times more than arrived in the first three months of 2015. Many are believed to be fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Πηγή: BBC