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Syrian refugees onboard ferry from Kos will head to Piraeus, not Thessaloniki
The ferry “Eleftherios Venizelos” which left the island of Kos on Wednesday morning carrying around 1,700 Syrian refugees will head to Piraeus instead of Thessaloniki port as it was initially announced, authorities said.
The ship has made three stops to Lesvos, Kalymnos and Leros to pick up more refugees and is expected to reach the main port of Athens with 2,500 people onboard at 08.45 (local time).
According to officials from the ship owning company, the refugees have had to pay for the ferry ticket, as the ministries involved in the operation have only paid for the chartering of the ship and the housing, food and sleep of the refugees while they remained in the port of Kos, but not for their transport.
The ministries have not explained why they diverted the ferry or whether it will head back to Kos after it disembarks the people onboard.
