Greek authorities send 1st group of unaccompanied young refugees to EU countries

Greece transferred a dozen unaccompanied children from overcrowded migrant camps to Luxembourg on Wednesday. The group is the first of more than 1,000 relocations that are being expedited amid concerns over the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable groups.

Another group of 50 children is expected to fly from Athens to Germany on Saturday, and 20 more will head to Switzerland at a later date. Greece hopes to relocate some 1,600 unaccompanied minors in the coming months.

The children relocated on Wednesday were aged between 11 and 15. Ten were from Afghanistan and two from Syria. At least 5,200 migrant children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and African countries currently live in Greece, many of them under harsh conditions in camps on islands in the Aegean, Reuters said.