The migrants arrive by the hundreds on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos. And in their eagerness to move on, they leave behind belongings they carried on their backs.
The people fleeing war and poverty, mostly from Syria but also from Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan, turn up from the Turkish coasts after crossing rough seas on precarious rubber dinghies. This northeastern Greek island has become one the main entry points to Europe for refugees this year. More than 1,000 people arrive every day to the beaches on the north of the island, by now a dramatic routine.
The beach arrivals always chaotic, especially in bad weather. Children and adults jump off the dinghies as they approach the shore, desperate to reach land as soon as possible. On their backs, they carry the few personal belongings they managed to take on the journey. Some of them end up on the beach.
In this Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a children’s toy is portrayed on a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 photo, the national identity card of a Syrian woman remains left behind on a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 photo, a pink float used as protection for small children in the water remains left behind on the shore of a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a photograph of a man pointing a fire gun in a wooded area remains left behind next to the road that runs along the north of Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 photo, a lipstick remains left behind on a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 photo, a feeding bottle remains left behind early in the morning on a beach next to the town of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 photo, a notebook with notes and drawings is placed to be portrayed a few cm from the place where it was found on a beach next to the town of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 photo, a Syrian passport found on the road that runs along the north of the Greek island of Lesbos is placed to be portrayed on a beach next to the town of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 photo, a boarding card of a Baghdad-Istanbul flight remains left behind on a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 photo, the engine of a boat used by refugees to travel from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos remains abandoned underwater near the shore of a beach next to the town of Skala Sikaminias. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 photo, a page from a Quran, the holy book of Muslims, lies on the beach in the Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 photo, a lifejacket remains left behind on a beach next to the town of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
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