A sea of humanity: Over a million refugees braved odds for sanctuary in Europe

[caption id=“attachment_2566598” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  A sea of humanity: Volunteers walk on a pile of lifejackets left behind by refugees who arrived to the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea. More than one million refugees and migrants braved the seas in 2015 seeking sanctuary in Europe. AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566604” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Members of the Turkish Coast Guard rescue Syrian migrants. Nearly 4,000 people were believed to have drowned before reaching shore, according to UNHCR. AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566606” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  A volunteer lifeguard carries a baby as a half-sunken catamaran carrying around 150 refugees from Turkey. Most people who took to the water for Europe made their way on the Aegean Sea to Greece’s islands from Turkey, Reuters[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566608” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Refugees and migrants jump off a boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos. About half of the 1,000,573 men, women and children who made the perilous journey came from war-torn Syria, while Afghans accounted for roughly a fifth, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees agency said. Reuters[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566610” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  A Syrian refugee holding a baby swims towards the Greek island of Lesbos. The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide is likely to have surpassed 60 million this year, mainly driven by the war in Syria and other long-term conflicts, the United Nations has said. Reuters[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566612” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  A child gets assistance to remove her life jacket upon her arrival on an inflatable boat carrying migrants on the Greek island of Kos. Greece sent extra riot police to Kos as tensions mounted over a huge influx of migrants. The influx of refugees and migrants has caused tensions across Europe, with some nations toughening border controls. AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2566726” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Probably the most powerful photo of the migrant crisis was the lifeless body of a Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi. The photo clicked on a Turkish beach sparking worldwide outrage at the refugee crisis. AFP[/caption]