KarunaNews Story

Torn apart in the deadly chaos of an air raid, a Syrian family of seven has been reunited, against the odds, three years later at a refugee shelter in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. The family's story is a harrowing one. When warplanes screamed in over the village of Dana, Syria, Abdul Salam Al Khawein was at home with his five children; his wife, Kariman, was out shopping in the marketplace. Bombs burst among the stalls, knocking her unconscious. She spent the week recovering in a clinic, and by the time she was well enough to leave, Abdul had fled with the children to safety across the Turkish border. They had no way to reach each other, and each lost hope that the other had survived. Social media eventually gave Kariman hope that her family was alive; she attempted to leave Syria and get into Turkey and Greece. She was successful on her second try and was able to reunite with her family. Coordinator Manolis Zougos with the Filoxenio refugee facility said he has never seen another reunion like this during the 17 years he's been working with refugees.