Last Saturday, sixteen people, including five children, unfortunately, drowned in the stormy waters of the Aegean, when their boat capsized, near the island of Agathonisi.
It is believed that there were 22 people on the boat. The Greek Coast Guard aided by helicopters and a Frontex patrol boat searched, endlessly, for survivors.
Our deepest, heartfelt condolences to all who lost the loved ones and our sincere hope that the human trafficking circuit will, soon, be eradicated.
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| Candles in Memoriam |
Since 2015, hundreds of thousands of refugees, fleeing from war, arrived in Greece and in other European countries, from Turkey. Hundreds were drowned, then, in the Aegean, in their effort to reach the safety of the European Union.
In 2016, an agreement was made between the E.U. and Turkey, stating, that anyone arriving on the Greek islands, must be returned to Turkey, “unless they qualify for asylum”. As this procedure is time-consuming, the Greek islands of the East Aegean were led to overcrowded conditions, which were extremely difficult to deal with.
Although our islanders are very hospitable, they felt that they could not provide the appropriate shelter, food and healthcare for these, unfortunate people. Of course, at that precise time, the European Union, the Red Cross and many other organizations helped Greece tremendously in providing for and looking after the migrants, but, naturally, space was and still continues being the great problem.
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