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Thousands of Refugees Are Now Expected to Arrive in Macedonia Every Day

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As many as 3,000 refugees, largely from war-torn Syria, will arrive in the small Balkan nation of Macedonia every day in the coming months on a northbound journey deeper into Europe, the UNHCR says.

“They are coming in large groups of 300 to 400 people and then traveling onwards by train or bus to Serbia,” UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said during a press conference, Reuters reports.

Fleming said that the migrants are largely spurred by overcrowded conditions in refugee camps in the Middle East. “People are leaving Turkey, they are leaving Jordan, they are leaving Lebanon and Syrians are fleeing directly out of Syria as the situation continues to be very dire.”

The scale of the migration is already at record-breaking levels, with over 107,500 arriving in Europe in July alone. The numbers for this year so far, at around 340,000, are peaking well above the total number that arrived in Europe last year. Already, at least 2,373 people have died trying to make the precarious cross over the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization of Migration told Reuters.

E.U. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said last week that Europe was now facing its worst refugee crisis since World War II, the Telegraph reported.

The sheer scale of the influx has proved difficult to manage for local authorities. Riots have broken out on the Greek island of Kos and in Macedonia, with Macedonian police firing off tear gas to control crowds.

European officials are hopeful that numbers will be managed effectively in the coming months, as the flow of migrants shows no sign of stopping. A spike in resources and a greater willingness from countries in the European Union to accept more refugees will help mitigate the crisis, Fleming said, according to Reuters.

[Reuters]

See Migrants Make Their Way From Serbia to Hungary

Afghan migrants trek their way to the Serbian border with Hungary close to Hajdukovo, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 17, 2015,
Afghan migrants trek their way to the Serbian border with Hungary close to Hajdukovo, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 17, 2015,Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
A watchtower left over from the Cold War era is seen meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Kelebija, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
A watchtower left over from the Cold War era is seen meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Kelebija, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015, Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants rest in the makeshift camp near the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014,
Migrants rest in the makeshift camp near the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014, Darko Vojinovic—AP
Migrants from Afghanistan rest at an abandoned house on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
Migrants from Afghanistan rest at an abandoned house on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015, Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
A graffiti in Arabic letters is seen on a wall of an abandoned factory used as a resting point by migrants on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.
A graffiti in Arabic letters is seen on a wall of an abandoned factory used as a resting point by migrants on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants gather around the fire which they use for cooking and for warmth in the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014.
Migrants gather around the fire which they use for cooking and for warmth in the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014.Darko Vojinovic—AP
Members of the German border police sit in a van as they check a security camera while monitoring a stretch of the Serbian border with Hungary in the village of Hajdukovo, some 110 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 13, 2015.
Members of the German border police sit in a van as they check a security camera while monitoring a stretch of the Serbian border with Hungary in the village of Hajdukovo, some 110 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 13, 2015. Darko Vojinovic—AP
Migrants are detained by a Hungarian civil guard after being caught on the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke, south of Szeged, 100 miles south of Budapest, Hungary on Jan. 19, 2015.
Migrants are detained by a Hungarian civil guard after being caught on the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke, south of Szeged, 100 miles south of Budapest, Hungary on Jan. 19, 2015. Szilard Koszticsa—EPA
A migrant detained by the Hungarian police after illegally crossing the border with Serbia peers out of a window of a police bus in Asotthalom, some 110 miles southeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2015.
A migrant detained by the Hungarian police after illegally crossing the border with Serbia peers out of a window of a police bus in Asotthalom, some 110 miles southeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Discarded children's clothes are seen laying in a field meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Horgos, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
Discarded children's clothes are seen laying in a field meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Horgos, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants, who said they were from Afghanistan, sit on a ground after being apprehended by the Serbian border police for having illegally entered the country from Macedonia, near the town of Presevo some 240 miles from capital Belgrade, Serbia on April 29, 2015.
Migrants, who said they were from Afghanistan, sit on a ground after being apprehended by the Serbian border police for having illegally entered the country from Macedonia, near the town of Presevo some 240 miles from capital Belgrade, Serbia on April 29, 2015. Marko Djurica—Reuters
Migrants sleep in a park near the main Belgrade's bus and train station, Serbia on April 24, 2015.
Migrants sleep in a park near the main Belgrade's bus and train station, Serbia on April 24, 2015. Marko Djurica—Reuters

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