ATHENS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The pedestrian path at the foot of the Acropolis hill in the center of Athens was illuminated with candles and lit lanterns on Saturday evening, as dozens of Hellenic Red Cross (HRC) volunteers held a symbolic gathering on the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared which is marked on Aug. 30 each year.

The event was organized to raise awareness for the tragedies thousands of families are facing, organizers told Xinhua. "We are seeking the truth, we are standing by the side of the families in agony," was the event's theme.

"Since 1915 on a daily basis the Hellenic Red Cross is searching for missing people with sensibility, solidarity and discretion, and we will continue to do so. Today we are here to send a message with these lit candles, the lit lanterns our volunteers are holding that we are shedding light on the road of truth," HRC President Antonis Avgerinos stated.

Many of the cases the HRC's Tracing Service handles in recent years are linked to the mass refugee, migration influx into Europe. More than one million people reached Greece since 2015 fleeing conflicts and extreme poverty and most continued the perilous journey to other European countries, while thousands perished at sea or went missing.

"Since 2015 certainly the majority of the missing persons are migrants and refugees who are trying to reach Europe in various ways. We receive about 1,200 requests per year. Many concern families of migrants and refugees who are traveling with children," Maria Liandri, HRC Tracing Service officer, explained.

"The 30 percent of the missing we are currently dealing with concerns children. Several of them are unaccompanied minors," she said.

"When we trace a person and we manage to reconnect him/her with their families, help them communicate with their loved ones, our joy is enormous," she added.

There are no words to describe the emotions when the service manages to bring in touch again mothers who were separated from their children, she said, recalling the case of an Afghan lady they helped this year. Stranded in Greece she had lost contact with her children for three years. They traced them in Germany and now the next goal is the family's reunification.

The HRC has managed to find approximately 900 missing persons in recent years, Avgerinos said.

"The volunteers are the heart and soul of the Hellenic Red Cross. They are showing that they are standing by the side of the families of missing persons, they share their pain and they are walking next to them the entire road until the moment of reunification," Marina Stamati, director of HRC Press and Communication Department, said. Enditem

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