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Syrian Refugees Arrive on Greek Shores

A dinghy carrying Syrian refugees reached the Greek Island of Kos at dawn on Wednesday.
Image: Refugees arrive on the island of Kos
A man tries to help Syrian refugees who were adrift on a dinghy off the coast of Kos island, Greece, on May 6,2015. According to the Greek coast guard, the number of undocumented migrants entering Greece by sea reached 10,445 in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 2,863 people for the same period last year. The Mediterranean has been described as the world's deadliest route for boat migrants.YANNIS KOLESIDIS / EPA

As the sun rose over the Mediterranean, a dinghy carrying refugees fleeing the war in Syria reached the Greek Island of Kos on Wednesday.

Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for tens of thousands of Asian and African migrants fleeing war and poverty every year. According to the Greek coast guard, the number of undocumented migrants entering Greece by sea reached 10,445 in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 2,863 people for the same period last year. The influx is testing the social and economic limits of a country already crippled by financial crisis.

Image: Refugees arrive on the island of Kos
Syrian refugees arrive in a dinghy on Kos island, Greece, on May 6, 2015.YANNIS KOLESIDIS / EPA