Russian Bombing: Thousands Of Desperate Immigrant Arrive Europe

The Russian bombing campaign in Syria and the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, are conspiring to make this crisis a disaster.
European Union leaders prepare to gather in Brussels later for a summit at which the ongoing migrant crisis will dominate, thousands of desperate people arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos in a matter of hours.

David Cameron will join the leaders of the other 27 member states for the fourth successive council dealing with the issue and the second such meeting in just three weeks. 

If there was any hope amongst European governments that this refugee crisis would ease, they were wrong. If anything it is getting worse. 

Lesbos, where the first tentative steps of the refugees entering Europe are drenched in sea water and unsteady on slippery rocks and pebbles, is in danger of being overwhelmed by the scale of the movement of people heading to northern Europe.

The arrival of the boats, dinghies packed with people, never stops.

Thousands of people paying millions of euros to Turkish smugglers are simply piling in.

It is a dangerous journey across open sea made worse by the onset of winter weather.

We watched as thousands arrived in one morning, children crying as their boats were buffeted by the waves.

They are already freezing from being soaked during the two-hour crossing.

A woman collapsed as she made the shoreline, her stomach heaving with sea-sickness.

Volunteers resuscitated her as family members watched on, unable to do anything to help. 

A group of 47 in a dinghy built for 10 were towed to shore by a fisherman.

Their outboard motor had been smashed by what they say was a shark or a dolphin. 

Powerless, their boat took on water in seconds as it was engulfed by the waves. He saved their lives.

They all have tales of struggle to get this far, many escaping fighting, looking for sanctuary, spending all their savings to make this horrendous journey that will cross, at the very least, seven nations.