Basheer thought he could make it. He was 18, in good health and knew how to swim. But the Evros River crossing takes many victims.

Wet, cold, tired and lost, a mother and son who successfully crossed Evros lay down on the riverbank afterward. Hypothermia killed both. Another family buried their 4-year-old near the river after a train hit her while the family was walking along nearby tracks.

For migrants fleeing violence or seeking better economic opportunities, the Evros River is a major milestone. Flowing down from Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains, the river traces the 150-kilometre border between Turkey and Greece before emptying out into the Aegean Sea (more)