Sudanese Refugee Hospitalized Hours After Arriving in Greece

moatinoon
A 26-year-old pregnant Sudanese refugee was transferred to Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion, on the southern Greek island of Crete, on Tuesday after experiencing severe pain shortly after arriving by boat from Libya. Local reports suggest she may have been kicked during the perilous journey.

According to local media, the woman’s condition deteriorated alarmingly upon arrival at the port of Heraklion, prompting Greek authorities to rush her to the hospital for urgent medical care.

The woman is part of the first group of Sudanese women arriving in Greece accompanied by children, as the number of Sudanese refugees arriving on Crete continues to increase. Previously, nearly all new arrivals were young men traveling alone.

The Heraklion port currently functions as a temporary reception center for registering refugees and conducting initial health checks before they are relocated to other facilities across the country. However, the center is severely overcrowded, now sheltering more than 300 people in a hall designed to accommodate only 85.

This incident underscores the dire humanitarian conditions facing Sudanese refugees—particularly women and children—amid limited medical care and inadequate reception infrastructure. Meanwhile, waves of Sudanese continue to flee the war back home, risking their lives in dangerous sea crossings to Mediterranean countries.