In the ongoing influx of illegal immigrants, a further 179 people were picked up on Friday morning on three islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, the Greek Coast Guard reported according to DPA. It said 113 of the people were chiefly from Afghanistan and Iraq, and among them were eight children. The refugees were found on the islands of Lesbos, Samos and Farmakonisi and were believed to have made their way via inflatable rafts or fishing boats from the nearby Turkish coast. Greek state radio noted that over the past 12 months, Greece by official accounts has picked up more than 112,000 refugees. The camps set up for them on the islands in the Aegean were overflowing.
