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Photo : One of the smugglers responsible for the drowning of the Syrian refugees
They were 88 Syrian refugees in total trying to reach Europe, however, they fell prey to smugglers, whose lives depend on exploiting and deceiving refugees. Only six of them managed to make it to the Greek coasts while the rest of them (60 refugees) drowned in sea as the boat they were raiding capsized off.
One of the survivors narrates the story of being exploited by smugglers in Turkey and says: ‘’ we were more than 80 Syrian refugees in Turkey and we made our decision to travel to Europe. The smugglers placed us in two houses after dividing us into two groups, 40 persons in each house. We had to stay inside as the smugglers were preparing to smuggle us from Turkish coasts to Greece.
He added ‘’ While waiting for the day to be smuggled, the refugees were insulted and treated in a brutal and disrespectful manner that they were even threatened with weapons by the smugglers in the first house. In the other house, after the smugglers docked 500 from the money given to them by each refugee, they called the Turkish police to come and arrest them’’
After few days, the smugglers put the refugees, who were only 66, in an inflatable boat, and on their way to Greece, the boat capsized off. Only six refugees survived the submersion of their boat while the others died after being deceived by the smugglers.
The survivors have warned other Syrian refugees hoping and struggling to reach Europe of the danger of smugglers in Turkey and how they trick and deceive people, emphasizing on showing caution when dealing with them.
