Nearly 2,000 migrants reached Aegean islands in March

Nearly 2,000 undocumented migrants reached the islands of the eastern Aegean last month, according to government figures.

Of the 1,968 migrants who crossed in smuggling boats from neighboring Turkey in March, 1,369 landed on Lesvos, 541 on Samos and 58 on Chios.

The arrivals were significantly higher than the 1,504 migrants who reached in the islands in January and the 997 in February.

The arrivals last month were also higher than those in March 2017 when 1,407 migrants reached the islands (336 to Lesvos, 824 to Chios and 247 to Samos).

In March 2016, at the peak of the crisis, 8,604 people reached the islands (3,277 to Lesvos, 3,614 to Chios and 1,713 to Samos).