Migrants take shelter in the Greek town of Patras
Afghan, Iranian and Sudanese immigrants, living precariously in abandoned factories in Patras, southwest Greece, try to stow away on nearby ferries to Italy as they seek a better life in Europe beyond crisis-hit Greece. Shocked after as many as 900 people drowned last month in the worst Mediterranean shipwreck in living memory, European Union leaders have agreed to triple funding for sea patrols, but disagreement persists on what to do with those fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Some in Patras are recent arrivals, often travelling via Turkey, others have languished in the empty buildings for as long as two years.
An Afghan immigrant looks through a wooden fence in a factory as he prepares to make a run towards the ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
A Sudanese immigrant stands next to clothes that are hanging out to dry inside a deserted textile factory in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
An Afghan immigrant is sits inside a wood factory across the street from the ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
Azam, 26-year-old +from South Sudan stands on rail tracks after failing to flee to Italy in the western Greek town of Patras .Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
Afghan immigrants play cards inside a wood factory across the street from a ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
An Afghan immigrant bandages his foot as he sits at a wood factory across the street from a ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
Sudanese immigrant Mahdi Babika Mohamed, who is also a rap singer with the stage name Twopack, walks down stairs at his shelter in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
A security officer shouts at Afghan immigrants who have jumped over a fence at a ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
Sudanese immigrants charge their mobile phones at a make-shift electric outlet in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
An Afghan immigrant tries to send text messages to friends as he sits inside a wood factory across the street from a ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters