A drone mounted camera captured dozens of refugees taking the treacherous journey from Turkeys coastal town of Cesme to set sail to the Greek island of Chios on inflatable dinghies. Footage released on Thursday (5 November) showed aerial shots of refugees crossing scrubland and arriving at a beach where they embark on the dinghies.
Thousands of refugees – mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq – attempt on a daily basis to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, a short but treacherous journey by boat, often in rough seas and in poor weather. Chios, which lies less than 8km from the Turkish coast, has been one of the primary gateways for thousands of refugees entering the EUs outermost border.
More than 500,000 refugees and migrants have entered Greece through its outlying islands in 2015, in what has become the biggest humanitarian crisis on the continent for decades. On 5 November, the United Nations said refugees and migrants are likely to continue to arrive in Europe at a rate of up to 5,000 per day via Turkey this winter and was appealing for more funds.
More than 760,000 people have already crossed the Mediterranean so far in 2015, mainly to Greece and Italy.
