Uncharted waters

Uncharted waters

Advertisement

Afghan migrants are among those arriving on the Greek island of Kos after crossing the Aegean Sea. Greece has become a main gateway into Europe for migrants from North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

More than 60,000 sought refuge in the EU last year. This year, about 51,000 people have already arrived in Europe by sea while approximately 2,000 have lost their lives attempting the crossing.

. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Kos is a popular holiday destination for European tourists and hundreds of migrants have found temporary shelter in the grounds of a deserted hotel.

Local media report approximately 200 migrants have arrived in Kos every day over the last two months.

. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis
Tourists seek shelter from the rain outside a police station in Kos, alongside a group of migrants.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for assistance after as many as 900 people died in a fishing boat that capsized off the Libyan coast in April.

“The Mediterranean must stop being a graveyard sea and southern European countries a storage for human souls,” he said in a televised address to the nation.

. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Financially-strapped Greece says it is in no position to house the thousands of migrants arriving.

The European Commission has proposed member states share responsibilities to resettle 24,000 asylum-seekers from Italy and 16,000 from Greece but the plan has been met with resistance.

1 / 20

Slideshow

Syrian refugees on an overcrowded dingy celebrate as they land on the Greek island of Kos.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Syrian refugees on an overcrowded dingy celebrate as they land on the Greek island of Kos.

A man carries a boy onto the beach.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A man carries a boy onto the beach.

A Syrian refugee prays on the beach.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A Syrian refugee prays on the beach.

A Syrian refugee talks a 'selfie' picture as she walks on the beach with her family.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A Syrian refugee talks a 'selfie' picture as she walks on the beach with her family.

A life vest, used by a migrant, is abandoned on the beach.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A life vest, used by a migrant, is abandoned on the beach.

An Afghan migrant holds a child’s hand as families land on the beach after crossing the Agean Sea.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan migrant holds a child’s hand as families land on the beach after crossing the Agean Sea.

Hundreds of migrants walk towards a temporary shelter soon after crossing from Turkey to Greece.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Hundreds of migrants walk towards a temporary shelter soon after crossing from Turkey to Greece.

An Afghan woman sits outside a deserted hotel.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan woman sits outside a deserted hotel.

Migrants staying in a deserted hotel watch as more refugees arrive.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Migrants staying in a deserted hotel watch as more refugees arrive.

People sleep on mattresses in a deserted hotel.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

People sleep on mattresses in a deserted hotel.

An Afghan migrant embraces a child on the rooftop balcony.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan migrant embraces a child on the rooftop balcony.

An Afghan migrant is seen in a makeshift shower cabin.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan migrant is seen in a makeshift shower cabin.

Laundry hangs to dry.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Laundry hangs to dry.

An Afghan migrant is seen through a doorway.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan migrant is seen through a doorway.

Abandoned dinghies float on the shoreline.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Abandoned dinghies float on the shoreline.

A overcrowded dinghy is towed by a Greek coast guard patrol boat.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A overcrowded dinghy is towed by a Greek coast guard patrol boat.

Seven-month-old Syrian refugee Jaffe is held by her mother Nada in a Greek coast guard van next to her father Ahmed after they were rescued.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Seven-month-old Syrian refugee Jaffe is held by her mother Nada in a Greek coast guard van next to her father Ahmed after they were rescued.

Migrants take photos on the beach.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Migrants take photos on the beach.

An Afghan migrant tries to communicate with relatives as he waits for temporary documents outside a police station.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

An Afghan migrant tries to communicate with relatives as he waits for temporary documents outside a police station.

A passenger ferry approaches the Greek island of Kos during a storm.
. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A passenger ferry approaches the Greek island of Kos during a storm.

. KOS, Greece. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis