A newborn baby has been rescued after being stranded with its parents for three days on the Greek island of Tilos, authorities said. The family was part of a group of refugees abandoned by human traffickers on the shores of the Aegean Sea without food or water.
The baby, just 50 days old, was one of many people trapped in a remote, mountainous part of the island. As their resources dwindled, the desperate parents were forced to use seawater to produce milk for their babies. After three harrowing days, authorities were finally able to rescue the baby, while other members of the group were airlifted to safety by helicopter, she said. Metro.
Tilos Mayor Maria Kamma shared footage of the rescue operation, which shows a man carefully cradling the baby as he climbed into an inflatable boat. In a Facebook post, she praised the community’s response, saying: “The community of Tilos has once again risen to the occasion, lending their support to the refugees. The locals are trying to cope as best they can with the ‘migrant crisis’ in their homeland and to help the suffering, the injured and those in distress.”
Local media confirmed that the baby is safe and sound, although the exact number of people in the family is not known. Mayor Kamma also announced that the baby will be named Ionas, in parallel to the monk who came to the coast of Tilos centuries ago and founded the monastery of Agios Panteleimon.
The mayor highlighted the dire conditions facing refugees on the island and described a “scene of desperation” created by human traffickers. She reported cases of pregnant women trapped in the mountains, babies and children abandoned in steep areas and refugees beaten by traffickers. “Pregnant women trapped in the mountains, babies and children dumped in steep areas of the island, injured women, men brutally beaten by traffickers, make up the scene of desperation that the society of my island has been experiencing in recent months,” she said.
Kamma also highlighted the lack of outside help for the island, but praised volunteers who have stepped in to help the refugees. Greece remains a main entry point to Europe for refugees fleeing conflict and hardship in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
