
Sandra Tsiligeridu (C) cradles Syrian refugee Mohammed Besmar after rescuing him from the Aegean Sea on August 27.

Tsiligeridu said Besmar had hypothermia after floating alone in the sea off Kos for 13 hours, but he is one of the lucky ones. Many have died on the same journey this year.

Greece has become the main gateway to Europe for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing war and economic hardship.

A Syrian woman speaks on the phone while clutching her documents that have been wrapped in plastic to keep them dry during her journey to Kos on August 31.

Tens of thousands of refugees are hopping in small boats and sailing from Turkey to Kos to seek asylum in Greece. Here, a Syrian family arrives in an inflatable dinghy at Kos on August 30.

New arrivals rinse off at a beach shower at sunrise in Kos on August 30.

A Pakistani man prays on the beach after safely completing his journey from Turkey to Kos on August 29.

African men hold up signs urging Greek authorities to issue their official immigration papers in Kos on August 28.

A Syrian mother holds the hand of a child as they arrive at a beach on Kos on August 13.

A policeman pushes a man as hundreds wait to complete registration at a stadium in Kos on August 12.

Policemen in Kos try to disperse hundreds of refugees during registration on August 11.

A Syrian family takes shelter at a makeshift camp in the center of town on August 12.

People walk past tents set up in a street in Kos on August 10.

A man washes his face near a deserted hotel in Kos where hundreds of migrants found temporary shelter on August 10.