More than 3,500 refugees and migrants arrived in northern Aegean islands in September

A total of 3,519 refugees and migrants arrived on the northern Aegean islands during the month of September, the highest monthly arrival rate so far this year.

Lesvos received the highest number, with 2,170 arrivals, Samos 881 and Chios 567. According to the interior ministry, 13,356 is the total number of refugees and migrants currently on the islands. 

The increased rate of refugees and migrants arriving on the islands, particularly on Lesvos, has added to an already tense situation in detention centers that have long been overcapacity.