The number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands has DOUBLED since the failed military coup in Turkey

  The number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands has doubled since the failed military coup in Turkey. More than 1,170 have crossed the Aegean in the fortnight following the attempted putsch on 15 July, compared to just 560 in the two weeks before.

 The surge of people comes as the Turkish government threatens to aggravate the crisis even further by pulling out of its six billion euros (£5bn) deal with the EU to stem the influx.

European leaders in March agreed to hand over the cash and ease visa restrictions on travellers from Turkey if it took back all those arriving on the Greek islands, including the popular holiday destinations Lesbos and Kos.

 But Brussels has said Turkey’s 80 million citizens will not be granted visa-free travel until it fulfils a list of benchmarks including revising its anti-terrorism laws.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday said the country will walk away from the agreement unless EU leaders back down – risking a massive new rush of people to the continent.

 The Italian coastguard said that 6,500 were rescued in the four days from Thursday to Sunday, with five dead bodies also recovered.

According to the latest figures from the UN's refugee agency, more than 89,000 people, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have arrived in Italy by sea since the start of the year.

The tally is comparable to the total of 93,000 recorded for the January-July period last year.

 More than 3,000 migrants have died trying to make the crossing, an increase of more than 50 per cent compared to the same period in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The mayor of Sabratha in western Libya yesterday said more than 120 bodies of migrants had washed up on the city’s coast in the past month – including 53 on one single day last week.