Refugees are traveling from Turkey to Greece by sea in record numbers despite the winter cold and the first snow to hit some islands in years. Aid workers say they struggle just to keep people alive and healthy before they depart for the next leg of their journey.
Despite Cold, Record-Breaking Numbers of Refugees Arrive in Greece
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In the past week alone, 19 people are believed to have drowned crossing the sea to Greece, including three children and a baby, Lesbos, Greece, Jan. 19, 2016. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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Despite the cold weather this month, more than 20 times the amount of people are arriving in Greece than in January of 2015, a year in which more than a million people made the dangerous journey to Europe seek asylum, Jan. 19, 2016, Lesbos, Greece. (VOA/H
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Aid workers say when the people arrive on shore, their clothes are usually wet, and in cold weather, the wet clothes can quickly freeze, Lesbos, Greece, Jan. 19, 2016. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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Officials say nearly half the new arrivals are from Syria so far this year and the rest of the people are mostly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran, in Lesbos, Greece, Jan. 19, 2016. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)