Latest migrant arrivals on Lesvos fuel concerns

Authorities are concerned over a possible spike in migrant inflows after a third boat arrived on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos since the beginning of May on Sunday, with 36 people on board from Afghanistan and African countries.

The migrants were transferred to a makeshift structure in Megala Therma for 14 days of quarantine.

Before Sunday, 51 migrants had arrived on the island on May 6 and four days later another 19 reached its shores.

Fearing a new surge in arrivals, police and the coast guard have submitted a joint request to the European Union’s border protection agency, Frontex, for the extension for another month of the deployment of the Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABIT) that arrived in the Aegean and the Evros land border region in early March.

The agency official response is expected in the coming days; however, according to reports, Frontex has informally approved the request.