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Photos: Balkan winter doesn’t stop flow of refugees

January 20, 2016 10:13AM ET

Reuters photographer Marko Djurica documents extraordinary perseverance in the face of a harsh Serbian winter

Topics:
International
Refugees
Serbia
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Marko Djurica refugees Syria
A refugee child walks through a frozen field after crossing from Macedonia into Serbia, Jan. 18, 2016. Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
Reuters photographer Marko Djurica went to the Macedonia-Serbia border area to see how the harsh Balkan winter affected the flow of refugees. Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
Djurica said, “Most migrants come from Syria and Iraq, and they have only seen snow in the movies. I remember a young girl saying, while holding a snowball, that she didn’t know snow was cold.” Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
At the border, “refugees have to walk 10 kilometers in rough terrain before they can board a train to Serbia,” Djurica said. Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
Djurica said that a Balkan winter can mean temperatures around –5 degrees Fahrenheit and “wind so strong that you have to walk backward into it.” Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
One group that Djurica met included a woman who had broken her leg in Aleppo. Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
At one point, Djurica said, “The wind was so noisy that the refugees weren’t able to talk to each other.” Marko Djurica / Reuters
Marko Djurica refugees Syria
Even after completing this segment of the journey, the refugees still hoped to travel through Croatia, Slovenia and Austria to reach Germany. Marko Djurica / Reuters

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Topics:
Refugees
Greece
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