Greek island of Kos is located on the Aegean Sea, opposite the Turkish bay of Gokova and the city of Bodrum.
From the north east coast of the island, between Lambi to Fokas, one can easily see the other shore. It is a turkish coast, from where an unprecedented wave of refugees originated from war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Often desperate and deprived of funds, the refugees were undertaking a very risky crossing using counterfeit "pontoons toys” bought on the Turkish bazaars.
Along the beach, in the bushes, on the streets, in the port of Kos, one can encounter piles of abandoned pontoons and life jackets, that belonged to those who succeeded in crossing the sea.
Sometimes the sea also threw punctured pontoons, of those who did not make it…
*According to information provided by the Greek UNHCR about a 3,000 people lost their lives during the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.