Few refugees allowed past Greece-Macedonia border town

Refugee and Migrant Crisis

Refugees stranded in Greece desperately want to reach Idomeni on the Greece-Macedonia border. Authorities banned buses from taking them there, but buses do arrive in the nearby villages. From here, most begin a long walk as they try to locate the overflowing border camp.

CCTV’s Filio Kontrafouri reports from Idomeni.

A refugee center in Idomeni can hold up to 2,000 people. Yet, many leave soon after they arrive, preferring to wait at the border, hoping to get into the massive line to cross.

For others, the end of the road is this nearby service station. Taxis and buses carrying refugees from outside the province who want to reach the border must stop here.

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Hundreds are stuck and more keep coming. To avoid a bottleneck, police call a bus to move a few to the reception center.

“Everywhere, (drivers) are loading people. You can’t stop anyone. And what can you do, where will these people go. What can I say, it’s a dramatic situation. Borders must open so people can leave,” Bus Driver Giorgos Terpos said.

But only about 200 leave each day. Many of the rest have camped out across more gas stations and packed hotels in the area wondering if they should also rush to the camp at the crossing point.