Kos

According to UNHCR, approximately 850,000 refugees and migrants, including children, arrived in Greece by sea in 2015.

Kos, a Greek island around four kilometres from the Turkish coast, was at the centre of the route for those trying to reach Europe. Most faced the journey from Turkey in rubber dinghies, many rowing across, in a trip taking up to six hours. The luckier ones paid around $1,000 each to travel aboard larger dinghies packed with people.

Once on Kos, they were required to register with the police in order to be able to purchase a ferry ticket to Athens and continue their journey. During the wait to be registered, which could last from a number of days to weeks, migrants and refugees found an old hotel as their only shelter. Run-down and abandoned, the Captain Elias Hotel lacked basic necessities such as toilets, running water and electricity.