Greece says it will defuse migrant-camp crisis within a week

ATHENS, Greece – The number of migrants at the overcrowded Idomeni camp on Greece’s border with Macedonia will be significantly reduced within a week, Deputy Defense Minister Dimitris Vitsas said Saturday.

About 12,000 migrants are stranded at the makeshift camp, blocked from moving out of Greece by neighboring Macedonia and other countries farther along the Balkan route to wealthier northern Europe.

The government began handing out fliers Saturday that informed migrants in Arabic, Farsi and Pashto that the border was closed and urged them to accept accommodation at shelters elsewhere in Greece.

About 1,000 have boarded buses headed to shelters in Athens and other locations, Vitsas told TV network Skai.

Conditions at the camp, which was set up to host no more than 2,000 people, deteriorated in recent weeks as the number of people rose. Human rights groups say the cold, muddy and unhygienic camp could become a humanitarian disaster.

A 9-year-old Syrian refugee staying at the camp was diagnosed with hepatitis A, a viral liver disease that often spreads through contaminated drinking water. Greek health authorities said Saturday the child was in stable condition at a hospital in Thessaloniki.

By the end of the next week there will be enough reception centers across Greece to accommodate 50,000 migrants, Vitsas said.

Many of the migrants in Idomeni are awaiting the outcome of Thursday’s summit of European Union leaders on the refugee crisis, hoping the borders that have been slammed shut by Balkan countries will once again be opened, he said.