A RIOT at a migrant detention centre in northern Greece has injured two police officers and led to the arrest of 30 migrants.

The facility where the unrest erupted on Wednesday night was holding about 750 migrants of various nationalities, police said. Two officers were treated for injuries, one after being hit by a thrown stone and the other for a bite on the hand.

Greece introduced one of Europe’s most draconian migration regimes this summer, allowing detention for up to 24 months and imposing prison terms of two to five years for illegal entry or residence. 

Under the laws, migrants denied asylum face mandatory jail sentences.

Wednesday’s clashes came the day after three migrants died and 55 were rescued near the southern island of Crete when a boat carrying them from Libya sank. Two of those migrants, both from Sudan, were arrested on smuggling charges.

Arrivals from Libya to Crete have surged in recent months. But Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said earlier on Wednesday that overall migrant arrivals were down compared with the year before.

He defended Greece’s harsh migration laws and said he supported proposals backed by other European Union members to establish dedicated deportation centres.