The boatloads of migrants making the perilous sea crossing over the Aegean may have dwindled, however the new arrivals continue to be impressive. A boat made its way to the shore of Skala Sykamnia on the island of Lesvos on Sunday, the first to arrive in the region after a number of months.
Greeks and foreigners at the beach gazed in surprise as refugees, mainly from Iraq, pushed and pulled the boat to shore. A refugee flung his young, blind wife on his back while he clung to a baby in his arms. “The image shook us all,” said Father Christoforos, a Greek Orthodox priest working with the UNHCR as a volunteer at the shelter for refugees and migrants.
Photographer Stratis Tsoulellis, head of the Lesvos Photography Society, photographed the arrivals that included a number of women and children. Another woman took the blind woman’s baby and fed it. The family were transported to the Morias hotspot, but after being informed of the case, Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas called for their immediate transfer to the Cara Tepe shelter where they will stay until there are places at other facilities reserved for vulnerable groups, such as the hotel of the Caritas organization or venues run by the Iliahtida charity group.
Monday’s tally of refugees
On Monday, there were 57,046 identified refugees and migrants on Greek territory while 132 persons arrived in the country over the last 24 hours.
According to the Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body’s figures, 23,654 of the refugees are in northern Greece, 10,235 are hosted in the region of Attica, 8,656 on the Greek islands and 2,061 are hosted in different areas in central and southern Greece. There are 6,022 refugees and migrants hosted in several facilities rented by the UNHCR, 4,918 are staying in non-organized facilities while approximately 1,500 persons are not at organized facilities.
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