Few islanders ever thought that this would become the frontline of Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war Out of the fog they come, first as apparitions and then shadows: people in overloaded boats and dinghies. A few hours later, from the bow of the Maria Star – the tourist ferry that crosses the sea every day to Turkey from Kos – the mechanic Manolis will often get a bird’s eye view. “At times these waters can be full of them, little people in little boats shouting ‘help,help’,” he says. “The coastguard rescues those that capsize but really there seems no end to it.” About 850,000 men, women and children, most from war-torn Syria, are expected to make similar voyages this year and next. The United Nations refugee agency has warned that this figure is likely to be a conservative estimate. At least 366,000 have already sought refuge in Europe after crossing the Mediterranean, with growing numbers electing to go via Lesbos and Kos, the Greek islands off Turkey’s picturesque shores. Continue reading...
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