Cuba said they would be released within three days in what would be among the largest mass releases of prisoners since the 1959 revolution.

Meanwhile, Germany has announced that 4,000 troops have been put on standby to cope with the huge influx of migrants.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the exact date for the meeting was still being finalized but that it was likely to be in early November.

Footage secretly filmed by France 2 TV shows Francoise Olcay selling dinghies and life jackets to migrants hoping to reach the Greek islands.

The haj, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, has been prone to disasters in the past, mainly from stampedes.