EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE-MACEDONIAN BORDER Migrants spend cold night sleeping next to railroad tracks waiting to cross border

Record ID: 141246

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE-MACEDONIAN BORDER Migrants spend cold night sleeping next to railroad tracks waiting to cross border
  • Date: 10th September 2015
  • Summary: IDOMENI, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 9, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TENTS PITCHED NEAR TRAIN TRACKS NEAR THE GREEK-MACEDONIAN BORDER/SCORES OF MIGRANTS CAMPED NEXT TO TRACKS SCORES OF MIGRANTS SITTING ON THE TRACKS/ FIRE BURNING FAMILY OF MIGRANTS SITTING NEXT TO TRACKS VARIOUS OF DOZENS OF MIGRANTS TRYING TO COVER FROM THE RAIN MAN USING PIECE OF CARTON TO COVER FROM RAIN MIGRANTS AT MAKESHIFT CAMP NEAR GREEK-MACEDONIAN BORDER CHILD VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WAITING TO CROSS BORDER VARIOUS OF SCORES OF REFUGEES AT MAKESHIFT CAMP NEXT ON TRAIN TRACKS (NIGHT SHOTS) RAIN FALLING CHILDREN SITTING AROUND FIRE BURNING MIGRANTS SITTING AND WAITING TO CROSS BORDER MOTHER HOLDING BABY IN HER ARMS CHILD WEARING JACKET SITTING ON GROUND MIGRANTS POKING FIRE WOOD BURNING MIGRANT TRYING TO REKINDLE FIRE VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS, INCLUDING YOUNG CHILD, SITTING AROUND OPEN FIRE FIRE BURNING MIGRANT WOMAN WITH INFANT IN HER ARMS BABY MIGRANTS AT MAKESHIFT CAMP NEXT TO RAILWAY TRACKS NEAR BORDERS VARIOUS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN SITTING ON THE GROUND NEXT TO TRAIN TRACKS MAKESHIFT TENT/FIRE BURNING VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS STANDING NEAR FIRE BURNING MIGRANT WOMAN WITH BABY IN HER ARMS AND SMALL CHILD STANDING NEXT TO HER WOMAN HOLDING BABY
  • Embargoed: 25th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABJE4O3T6FPQEF3KIE4MVIVOSR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hundreds of exhausted migrants fleeing war and poverty on Wednesday (September 9) faced hunger, cold and a barbed wire fence at the border between Greece and Macedonia.
    The flow of migrants risking rickety boats to cross the Mediterranean, or baton-wielding police on Balkan borders, shows no sign of abating despite more trips by sea ending in disaster.
    The migrants came as prepared as they could, setting up tents and lighting fires to protect themselves and their children from the rain and cold temperature before being allowed to continue their journey north.
    Macedonia allows groups of 50 migrants at a time to cross at 15-minute intervals, but hundreds arrive on a daily basis, meaning most must stay the night.
    In an unprecedented influx, nearly 300,000 men, women and children have crossed the Mediterranean this year, including nearly 181,500 in Greece and 108,500 in Italy, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
    To relieve the situation on the islands, the Greek government has chartered three ships to bring the migrants to the mainland. More than 21,000 migrants have been ferried from Greece's northeastern islands to Athens in the past ten days, according to the coast guard.
    When migrants do make it to the mainland, most take the train to the northernmost Greek town and then walk to the border, where they set up camp by the railroad tracks and wait their turn.
    There are no facilities, little shade during the day and when night falls and the temperature drops significantly the migrants light small fires to keep warm.
    At least 850,000 people are expected to cross the Mediterranean seeking refuge in Europe this year and next, the U.N. said on Tuesday (September 9), giving estimates that already look conservative.
    UNHCR called for more cohesive asylum policies in the EU to deal with the growing numbers of migrants and to offer guaranteed relocation for Syrian refugees, as record numbers flee to Macedonia and Greece.
    A record 7,000 Syrian refugees arrived in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia on Monday (September 7), while some 30,000 are on Greek islands, including 20,000 on Lesbos, it said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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