Police on Samos have warned that a migrant reception centre on the eastern Aegean island is seriously overcrowded, posing a risk to the safety and health of police and immigrants.

In a letter to Greek Police Chief Dimitris Tsaknakis, the island’s police union said that the migrant centre is accommodating 682 people, more than double the maximum of 285 it is designed to hold.

Describing the situation as “tragic and dangerous,” the union said only four officers are available at any given time to guard the migrants. It added that the influx is relentless, with 419 migrants having arrived on Samos so far this week.

Source: ekathimerini