The United Nations refugee agency is reporting a “noticeable drop” this week in the number of migrants arriving in Greece, due to bad weather conditions on the Mediterranean Sea.

The UNHCR​ says only 1,500 migrants arrived in Greece Thursday, in comparison to the recent average of 5,000 arriving daily via the Mediterranean.

However, the downturn is not expected to last. U.N. refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards said “any improvement in the weather is likely to bring another surge in arrivals.”

Double original estimate

The agency says it expects 700,000 migrants and refugees will reach Europe via the Mediterranean this year, and is projecting that approximately the same number will arrive in 2016.

That number is double the agency’s original estimate. The UNHCR also appealed for $128 million in donations to cope with the crisis, a much higher target than the $30.5 million it requested last month.

The agency said more than 520,000 people, more than half from Syria, have reached Europe this year, while close to 3,000 people have died during the attempt.

Olympic venue housing

Meanwhile, Greek authorities have opened a disused Olympic venue to house more than 400 migrants who have been camping out in Athens’ Victoria Square.

Police on Thursday escorted buses carrying the migrants, many from Syria and Afghanistan, to Galatsi Olympic Hall. The venue was home to table tennis and gymnastics competitions during the 2004 Olympics.

City officials have been trying to ease citizens’ concerns about the number of migrants camping out in the open in central Athens. Greece is on the front lines of the European migrant crisis and has been overwhelmed with people who travel across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East and Africa to seek better lives in the European Union.

UN General Assembly

At the U.N. General Assembly in New York Wednesday, Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the world to approach Europe’s refugee crisis with “creativity, compassion, and courage.”

Ban told meeting of 70 ministers at the General Assembly that “the future does not belong to those who seek to build walls or exploit fears.”

He stressed cooperation among all those who are struggling to cope with the crisis, with all efforts focused on saving lives. Otherwise, Ban said “the winners will be smugglers, traffickers and unscrupulous employers. Those who lose will be the dispossessed, the hungry, the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the children.” [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict