87 13. Lost and dead at the borders ■ The region of the Evros (Maritsa) river along the Greek-Turkish border is a tragic place where many persons get lost – some of whom are finally found dead. Relatives and friends of the lost are searching for them in the detention centres, hospitals and at the cemetery. They come from far away for an answer to their questions. 13.1 Survivors in detention During our mission we have met detainees who lost family members in the border area. They did not know whether they were alive or dead. It was obvious to us, that their detention caused their mental health to deteriorate and hindered the procedure of finding their relatives. In all of these cases we have seen that there was no psychological support provided for the survivors. Upon their release they have never been referred to a competent organisation for support or housing. In all cases the police continued to detain them without taking into account their vulnerability. missing.251 »There were two boats at the riverside. We entered the second with a total of 13 persons inside. The boat turned around and we all fell into the water. Some of us could hold on the boat while others were swept away by the sea. We couldn’t swim. The boat got into a vortex so we could not orientate ourselves anymore. We didn’t know which side was Turkish and which Greek! The ones of us holding on the boat reached the Turkish coast. Me and another woman were just trying to survive. The Turkish authorities rescued some of us. My two daughters and some others were carried away by the stream. I couldn’t see them. I was trying to keep myself above the water. I just heard their voices shouting: ‘Mother, help us!’ The Turkish police searched for some hours for my daughters. Then they brought us to detention. I was desperate. We were brought to Istanbul and released. O.H. is a Nigerian boy who was registered as an adult in Fylakio. He reported that he lost his mother while passing the river and his sister onward when he had already arrived at the Greek side of the border. He was in an extremely bad psychological state, and crying constantly. He applied for asylum in detention and stayed in Fylakio for six months. He never received any social or psychological support. Upon his release there was yet again no offer of further support.250 H.Y. from Iran reported that she had lost her two daughters in the river Evros at the end of September 2011. Together with her husband she went upon arrival directly to the police directorate of Orestiada asking for help. The police arrested them. They were taken to Fylakio placed in detention pending deportation. Even though the loss of the two children was officially reported to the police, they continued to detain them. They had been in separate cells for approximately three weeks before the dead body of the younger daughter was identified. They did not receive any psychological or social support during their detention, and were released without referral to any kind of support. They were not told where to find the body, or what to do in the following procedure with the corpse. They were also not told how to search for the older daughter who was still A shoe next to Evros river reminds of recent border crossings 250 O.H. from Nigeria; December 20, 2010 – Fylakio 251 H.Y. from Iran;October 11, 2011 – Fylakio