Close to 2800 people applied for asylum in Bulgaria in August 2016
A total of 2776 people applied for asylum in Bulgaria in August 2016, according to a monthly report by the State Agency for Refugees.
The total for June and July 2016 was 2967, the agency said.
In the first eight months of 2016, the agency registered 12 164 refugees.
Bulgarian Interior Ministry statistics were that by early September, the number of refugees and migrants entering Bulgaria exceeded 13 000 people.
The total for 2015 was 20 391, most of whom then left the country heading towards Western Europe.
According to the State Agency for Refugees, there was a continuing increase in migrants from Afghanistan. Of those seeking protection in Bulgaria, 5756 were from Afghanistan.
The next largest number, 3405, were from Iraq, and in third place, 1456 from Syria.
The agency said that 54 per cent of registered refugees in August were men, 33 per cent women and 13 per cent children.
(Photo: Ben Melrose/V Photo Agency)
