NICOSIA – An influx of Syrian refugees coming by sea from Lebanon has led Cyprus to ask for European Union assistance to deal with them because it doesn’t have enough detention and reception centers to handle them.

“The situation is getting progressively worse, and in the past few days we have essentially been experiencing an onslaught of rotting boats and refugees putting their lives at risk,” said Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, reported Reuters.

That came after more than 600 arrived in a week as warmer spring weather made the often perilous sea journey easier, a voyage of about 10 hours from Lebanon, with the island becoming a more popular destination for them.

“All indications are that it will continue,” Ioannou told state radio about the increase in arrivals, with Lebanon’s focus on trying to stem stemming migration at its coastline lessening after rising tensions with Israel.

Cyprus has long appealed to its EU partners to declare parts of war-ravaged Syria safe, which could facilitate the return of its fleeing citizens. It also wants EU aid to Lebanon to be contingent upon stopping the migrant outflow, Ioannou said.

Lebanon hosts tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who went there fleeing their country’s long-standing civil war.

Some 2,004 people arrived in Cyprus by sea in the first three months of this year, compared to just 78 in the same period of 2023, data showed.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Lebanon should not ‘export’ its migration problem and talked about it with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in asking for assistance.

“(Traffickers] just give them a compass set at 285 degrees, food and water for a day and they set off,” said Ioannou, interviews with refugees claiming human smugglers charge $3,000 for a journey to Cyprus, compared with $,000 for Italy.

Christodoulides told reporters that Lebanon is the beneficiary of significant EU financial aid for both its own citizens and for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees it continues to host, but that doesn’t come without strings attached.

“This aid can’t be given while we have to deal with this issue,” Christodoulides said, adding that he had talked with von der Leyen in seeking solutions as Cyprus has seen an influx of refugees, Syrians usually coming through Turkey to Greece.

(Material from the Associated Press was used in this report)