GREECE / REFUGEES CROSSING

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said more than 7,000 people fleeing violence and conflict have crossed into Greece this year from the northern land route from Turkey, opting to brave the rapids of the Evros river rather than journey across the Mediterranean further south. But this journey comes with its own risks, as Iraqi couple Dilshad and Jihan found out. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:17
• Production Date: 27 June 2018
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES
• Geographic Subject: GREECE
• MAMS Id: 2187705
• Parent Id: 2187705
• Alternate Title: unifeed180627e

Description

STORY: GREECE / REFUGEES CROSSING
TRT: 2:17
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: KURMANJI / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 18 MAY 2018, EVROS REGION, GREECE

Shotlist

18 MAY 2018, EVROS REGION, GREECE

1. Wide shots, group of newly arrived refugees walking in the streets of Pythio after crossing the Evros River
2. Various shots, Evros River
3. Med shot, Iraqi refugee couple Dilshad and Jihan crying
4. Close up, Jihan picking up her cell phone
5. Wide shot, Dilshad and Jihan crying looking at cell phone
6. Close up, photos of Dilshad and Jihan’s missing nephew Ahmed
7. SOUNDBITE (Kurmanji) Jihan Fadhil, Ahmed’s aunt:
“Ahmed was a very happy child. We loved him. But ever since Ahmed was lost in the river I’ve been looking for him in my dreams.”
8. Med shot, feet of man who died while crossing the river
9. Wide shot, autopsy room
10. UPSOUND (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“The man is about 30-40 years old.”
11. Wide shot, Pavlos inspecting body
12. Med shot, medical examiner assistant
13. Med shot, Pavlos’s reflection in cabinet glass
14. Pan left, Pavlos taking out box with collection of personal belongings of people who lost their lives while crossing the Evros
15. UPSOUND (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“It really touched me, this personal belonging. It writes ‘I believe’, because it means hope. And he died.”
16. Close up, bracelet
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“It’s a difficult to say to someone, your son is dead. But it’s one answer.”
18. Med shot, Dilshad and Jihan sitting among other refugees
19. Wide shot, Dilshad and Jihan sitting among other refugees
20. Pan left, UNHCR staff helping the new arrivals
21. Wide shots, newly arrived refugees drinking water
22. Tracking, UNHCR staff escorting sick refugee to medical facility

Storyline

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said more than 7,000 people fleeing violence and conflict have crossed into Greece this year from the northern land route from Turkey, opting to brave the rapids of the Evros river rather than journey across the Mediterranean further south. But this journey comes with its own risks, as Iraqi couple Dilshad and Jihan found out.

The Evros River that separates Turkey from Greece has claimed hundreds of lives among those who have had to flee their homes in search of safety.

Dilshad and Jihan cannot forget their loss on the river. In April, they made their way from Iraq, through Turkey. But crossing the Evros, their nephew Ahmed was swept from the boat. It was his fourth birthday.

SOUNDBITE (Kurmanji) Jihan Fadhil, Ahmed’s aunt:
“Ahmed was a very happy child. We loved him. But ever since Ahmed was lost in the river I’ve been looking for him in my dreams.”

Ahmed is not the only one to lose his life in the crossing. Greek forensics experts seek to identify the bodies that are found.

UPSOUND (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“The man is about 30-40 years old.”

The man was the 12th victim retrieved so far this year on the Greek side of the Evros. Since 2000, Professor Pavlidis Pavlos of the University Hospital in Alexandroupoli and his team have identified 103 of the 360 bodies found in the river. It is his hope that identifying the victims will help families cope with their loss.

UPSOUND (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“It really touched me, this personal belonging. It writes ‘I believe’, because it means hope. And he died.”

SOUNDBITE (English) Pavlidis Pavlos, Professor of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital in Alexandroupoli:
“It’s a difficult to say to someone, your son is dead. But it’s one answer.”

The rise in deaths in the Evros mirrors a rise in refugee arrivals in northern Greece. UNHCR said more than 7,200 people have crossed there in just the first five months of 2018.

It’s the first time in years that land arrivals in Greece have overtaken those from the Mediterranean route. Most of the people arriving here are fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

UNHCR said more shelter and support are needed for the many who survived the Evros but remain far from the safety they seek.