The makeshift graves of the anonymous refugees who drowned on the deadly journey between Turkey and the neighboring Greek islands on rickety boats tells a sad story.
Behind the cemetery of Saint Panteleimon, on the island of Lesvos, lie about thirty graves, scattered haphazardly. The buried men, women, and children tell the story of people who survived war but lost their lives trying to escape from it.
“Unknown child”, “unknown man”, “unknown woman” read the stones. Some of them have the name of the country the refugees came from, like Afghanistan or Syria. The scattered flowers around them is the least some compassionate locals could do for the lost souls.
Before the burial, local authorities took DNA material in the hope that some day, someone, might look for them and they would cease to be anonymous.
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