EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE-LESBOS SHIP Refugees relieved to be leaving Greek island of Lesbos

Record ID: 141255

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE-LESBOS SHIP Refugees relieved to be leaving Greek island of Lesbos
  • Date: 10th September 2015
  • Summary: LESBOS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 10, 2015) (REUTERS) REFUGEES WALKING TO BOARD BLUE STAR PATMOS FERRY VARIOUS OF REFUGEES BOARDING THE FERRY REFUGEES ENTERING THE PORT REFUGEES BOARDING THE FERRY SYRIAN REFUGEE ABDEL WAHB (LEFT) WITH TWO OF HIS CHILDREN AND A FRIEND WAHB'S SICK CHILD (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN REFUGEE, ABDEL WAHB, SAYING: "He can't sit down, he can't walking, he can't running, he can't doing anything. I must go to Germany, just for him, (REPORTER: HE CAN'T BE TAKEN CARE OF IN SYRIA OBVIOUSLY?) In my Syria today, no doctor, no hospital, we have it everything, just we have the war, just we have the gun, just we have bad people." WAHB, HIS CHILDREN AND FRIEND HEADING TO THE FERRY (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN REFUGEE, ABDEL WAHB, SAYING: "My wife in Syria, and my children, another children in Syria, because I have five children. (REPORTER: AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR ALL OF THEM?) It's right, I haven't. If I have, I take all my family and go to Europe." SYRIAN REFUGEES ENTERING THE PORT AND HEADING TO THE FERRY SYRIAN REFUGEES QUEUEING TO BOARD THE FERRY SYRIAN REFUGEE HOSSEIN HAMMOUD (LEFT) WITH FRIEND SYRIAN REFUGEE HOSSEIN HAMMOUD SYRIAN REFUGEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN REFUGEE, HOSSEIN HAMMOUD, FROM DAMASCUS, SAYING: "I feel somehow happy because we suffered here on the island for days, so I feel happy to leave to Athens." VARIOUS OF SYRIAN REFUGEE HOSSEIN HAMMOUD (LEFT) WITH FRIEND WALKING INTO THE FERRY (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN REFUGEE HOSSEIN HAMMOUD FROM DAMASCUS SAYING: "Many people want to leave, because you know, as the whole world knows, war is continuing, and people wants to be safe. So, many people think about travelling abroad." FERRY READY TO LEAVE VARIOUS OF REFUGEES ON THE FERRY'S DECKS VARIOUS OF FERRY SAILING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 25th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAF05G7QQ94XO5T2CE90RHDJDAR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Many refugees said on Thursday (September 10) that they were relieved to leave the Greek island of Lesbos to pursue their route through Europe.
    As Greek authorities and international institutions put in place measures to speed up the registration and evacuation process, ferries were doing extra journeys between Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos, and Athens.
    On Wednesday (September 9) night, one ferry evacuated up to 2,500 refugees and another left a few hours later at around 1300 local time (1100 GMT).
    Just before boarding the Blue Sea Patmos, Abdel Wahb, a Syrian refugee who fled with two of his children, voiced his relief at finally being able to leave the island after seven days.
    He said he needed to reach Germany to obtain medical treatment for his young son.
    "He can't sit down, he can't walking, he can't running, he can't doing anything. I must go to Germany, just for him. In my Syria today, no doctor, no hospital, we have it everything, just we have the war, just we have the gun, just we have bad people," he explained.
    His relief at being able to move onto the next leg of his journey was overshadowed by the fact that he had been unable to bring his whole family with him due to the high cost of paying smugglers.
    "My wife in Syria, and my children, another children in Syria, because I have five children. It's right, I haven't [enough money]. If I have, I take all my family and go to Europe," he said.
    Hossein Hammoud, a 49-year-old refugee from Damascus who used to be an English teacher, expressed the same relief after spending a week in Lesbos.
    "I feel somehow happy because we suffered here on the island for days, so I feel happy to leave to Athens," he said, adding that he was, however, afraid of rumours about how refugees are being treated in countries such as Hungary.
    He said he did not expect refugees to be put off.
    "Many people want to leave, because you know, as the whole world knows, war is continuing, and people wants to be safe. So, many people think about travelling abroad," he explained.
    According to the UN refugee agency, the exceptional measures put in place on the island for the past 72 hours have allowed for the evacuation of 13,000 refugees.
    No updated numbers of refugees now on the island were available, but on Tuesday (September 8), UNHCR announced in Geneva that there were 20,000 refugees in Lesbos alone and 10,000 on other Greek islands.
    Another ferry is expected to leave from Mytilini to Athens on Thursday night.
    At least 850,000 people are expected to cross the Mediterranean seeking refuge in Europe this year and next, the United Nations said on Tuesday, giving estimates that already look conservative.
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