- Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/LESBOS Migrants arrive on Lesbos in boats
- Date: 23rd August 2015
- Summary: SKALA SYKAMINIAS, LESBOS, GREECE (AUGUST 23, 2015) (REUTERS) RUBBER DINGHY FILLED WITH MIGRANTS WEARING LIFE JACKETS LANDING ON SHORE / MIGRANTS CHEERING MIGRANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN ON BOARD VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS DISEMBARKING / MEN HOLDING CHILDREN MAN SHOUTING MIGRANTS EMBRACING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIGRANT FROM IRAQ, OMAR, SAYING: "I come to here because of the terrorists from Iraq, so we must go to safe place, safe town, we want to live in peace." WOMAN FEEDING BABY FROM A BOTTLE AND KISSING IT WHILE IT FEEDS VARIOUS OF MAN ON SHORE WAVING LIFE JACKETS AT RUBBER DINGHY WITH MIGRANTS DINGHY HEADING TOWARDS SHORE VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS DISEMBARKING MAN UNTYING LIFE JACKET FROM WOMAN HOLDING BABY ELDERLY WOMAN SITTING MAN CALMING CRYING WOMAN ON BEACH MIGRANTS ON ROCKY BEACH BOY SWIMMING AND SMILING MIGRANT CHILDREN ON BEACH / ONE PUTTING ITS ARM AROUND THE OTHER MIGRANTS IN SEA / ONE THROWING PAPERS IN THE WATER (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIGRANT FROM AFGHANISTAN, ABDULLAH, SAYING: "I wish my life is safe, because I work with the foreign people in Bagram base, in U.S. army and it was danger for me, and I always threatened by some guys, some people, some group, in this case I had to leave Afghanistan and now we are here." MIGRANTS TAKING GROUP PHOTO ON BEACH WOMAN SITTING ON BEACH WITH BABY IN HER LAP MIGRANTS WALKING / ONE CARRYING BOY ON HIS BACK VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING ON DIRT ROAD MIGRANTS WALKING ON DIRT ROAD / ONE CARRYING ELDERLY WOMAN ON HIS BACK, ANOTHER CARRYING A LITTLE GIRL AND GIVING THE CAMERA A THUMBS UP VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING
- Embargoed: 7th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA4G0JZ4BWZUBANGU0GGVQN53AQ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Migrants continued to arrive in rubber dinghies to the rocky northern shores of the Greek island of Lesbos on Sunday (August 23).
Reuters witnesses on Sunday saw six boats arriving over five hours on the same rocky beach, one of the closest points to Turkey. Migrants told them the trip lasted about one hour and cost 1,500 dollars.
The migrants cheered and hugged upon landing, relieved to have reached the safety of dry land.
One migrant, Omar, said he left his home in Iraq because he wanted to live in peace.
"I come to here because there are terrorists from Iraq, so we must go to safe place, safe town, we want to live in peace," said Omar.
Abdullah, a migrant from Afghanistan, used to run a logistics company and worked with the U.S. Army in Bagram Airfield. But after receiving threats from local militant groups he decided it was unsafe to stay any longer.
"I wish my life is safe, because I work with the foreign people in Bagram base, in U.S. army and it was danger for me, and I always threatened by some guys, some people, some group, in this case I had to leave Afghanistan and now we are here," said Abdullah.
After landing on the beach, the migrants have to walk 60 kilometres through the countryside to get to Mytilene, the island's main town, in order to register with authorities and get temporary papers to continue their journey into Europe.
Two to three thousand refugees are arriving on Lesbos daily, more than a three-fold increase on average daily numbers recorded in July, according to the International Rescue Committee, and stretching the municipality's resources to breaking point.
Arrivals to cash-strapped Greece have exceeded 160,000 this year and have exposed massive shortages in Greece's available facilities to refugees. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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