The number of irregular migrants that landed on Greek territories in the northern half of the Aegean Sea increased by …550 percent in the March-April 2015 period from the corresponding period last year.

According to official statistics announced by the interior ministry, a total of 8,735 third country nationals were arrested by authorities on or off islands in the northern half of the Aegean, as opposed to 1,345 in 2014.

If all of the islands of the eastern Aegean are included, the total comes to 18,456 illegal migrants! Practically all of the third country nationals were ferried over or made their way across the sea from Turkish territory.

On the land border with Turkey in Evros prefecture, 869 irregular migrants were intercepted in the first four months of 2015, as opposed to 445 during the same period in 20014.