Greece sends nearly 600 migrants to locked camp

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Almost 600 migrants arrested while crossing to three Greek islands from the Turkish coast opposite have arrived at a facility in northern Greece where they are required to remain pending deportation, authorities say.

The 598 migrants were sent by boat to the northern port of Kavala and by bus to the facility, northeast of the city of Thessaloniki and near the border with Bulgaria. The migrants will stay in tents and will not be able to leave the camp.

Red Cross doctors took each arrival’s temperature and asked them about recent bouts of the flu. There has been no information as to their health status.

The migrants are from a wide array of countries in Asia and Africa. Authorities would not provide a breakdown, but officials said on condition of anonymity that the arrivals did not include Iraqis or Syrians.

Greece has tightened border controls and has suspended asylum applications since early March, days after Turkey announced that it was opening its borders to migrants and refugees and encouraged them to cross into Greece.