In Photos: Refugees Rescued in the Stormy Mediterranean
Kevin McElvaney joins SOS Méditerranée as they pull hundreds of refugees out of the sea along the treacherous Mediterranean route to Europe.
In the past year, the journey of refugees fleeing conflict in West Africa and parts of the Middle East has become more perilous. More than 5,000 refugees have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
After recent crackdowns in Turkey, the well-trodden Aegean route from Turkey to Greece is no longer a viable option for many refugees. Instead, Libyan ports, dominated by smuggling operations, are now the main hub. But on this alternate route across the Mediterranean, the risk of dying is 10 times higher. Refugees, along with trafficked individuals captured by smugglers and forced to make the crossing, board small dinghies unfit for the much longer route across the open ocean.
As they flee, they join a record 63 million
