Lesvos, the beautiful Greek island in the Aegean once known for its spectacular beaches, has lately been in the news as the main entry point to Europe for thousands of migrants and war-torn Syrian refugees.
Only on Tuesday, Lesvos had a reported 12,000 migrants and war-torn refugees roaming around the island, searching for ways to arrive to Athens and start their trip to Northern Europe.
Mayor Spiros Galinos asked the Greek government to declare a state of emergency on the island on Wednesday.
“We are letting you know that in the past two months, more undocumented immigrants and refugees have come through Lesvos than the total population of the island, thus more than 85,000. Despite the efforts to transport them to the mainland, the number of daily arrivals is much bigger than that of departures and as a result there are 10,000 people in the port of Mytilene,” a press release from the mayor’s office noted.
Ntina Markaki, one of the many locals who try to help the myriads of refugees who arrive at the port looking for temporary shelter, sent us these 24 pictures that capture the crisis on the Greek island.
Photo Credit: Ntina Markaki
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