Greece's coast guard says it rescued more than 1,000migrants from the eastern Aegean Sea between Friday morning and Monday morning.

The coast guard said it had rescued 1,161 people in 37 search-and-rescue operations off the islands of Samothraki, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Agathonisi and Farmakonisi.

Greece is facing a massive migrant crisis, with more than 55,000 people, many from Syria, reaching Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast since the beginning of the year. The vast majority don't want to stay in Greece but to head on to more prosperous European Union countries.

Greece has long called for the other EU countries to share the burden of the crisis.