Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

1st 30 refugees to be relocated from Greece head to Luxembourg

ATHENS, Greece – The first 30 refugees to be relocated from Greece have boarded a plane in Athens bound for Luxembourg.

The six families from Syria and Iraq who left Greece on Wednesday mark the start of a program seeking to relocate refugees who have arrived in Greece from nearby Turkey to other European Union countries without them having to make the arduous and often dangerous overland journey across the Balkans on foot.

More than 600,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece so far this year, most of them in the last few months.

Hundreds have died as their overloaded and unseaworthy boats and dinghies overturned or sank in the Aegean. Another four people — two children and two men — drowned Tuesday night.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.