Patra struggles with migrants
Truck drivers clashed yesterday with illegal immigrants in the port of Patra, which has again become a hub for undocumented people seeking to stow away on passenger ferries heading for Italy. Yesterday’s clashes were prompted by migrants trying to hide on trucks that were waiting to board ferries. Sources said that this sort of incident has been happening regularly lately. It is estimated that there are some 700 illegal immigrants currently living in Patra. About 250 are Afghans who live in the northern part of the city, some 300 are Africans who live in the southern areas and the rest are North Africans who have found temporary shelter in old, abandoned buildings. It has now become common for these migrants to stand outside bakeries or supermarkets in the hope of gleaning some scraps to eat. Some also rummage in trash dumpsters, as a decision by the Achaia Prefecture to provide the immigrants with one meal a day has yet to be acted upon.
