On a Greek island, volunteers remake burial site for refugees lost at sea

People leave flowers at the graves during an inauguration ceremony following the renovation of a burial ground for refugees and migrants in the village of Kato Tritos, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, April 17, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou

LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - Under an overcast sky on the Greek island of Lesbos, Afghan asylum-seeker Safika placed a red rose on the grave of a refugee who died trying to reach Europe. The tombstone read "unknown".

Nearly a decade since the first bodies of asylum-seekers were buried in this field in the village of Kato Tritos, a group of volunteers sought to turn the abandoned and overgrown plot into a burial ground that was inaugurated on Wednesday.