Migrant's video captures harrowing journey, crisis at sea

He knew he was taking a risk. He knew the journey was unsafe. But standing on the Turkish beach, Mohammad Reza Rezaie was confident he could make it to Germany until he saw the wrecked rubber dinghy washed up on shore.

"When I saw that boat I'm really afraid," he said. "Even my foot is shaking."

Rezaie is an 18-year-old Afghan who is barely out of high school. Like thousands of other migrants, he decided to test his luckcrossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos.

It's a desperate bid to gain a toehold into Europe now thatland borders have closed shut.

• 17 Syrians drown off coast of Turkey
• Greek officials register 15,000 migrants in a single day
• Girl, 5, dead, 13 missing off Greek Islands

Some of the decrepit or overloaded migrant boats never make it to Europe, and thousands have died at sea.

The crossing of the Aegean is notoriously dangerous. Earlier this month it claimed the life of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old boy whose body was photographed after it washed up on Turkey's shores.

But the tragedies haven't stopped others from attempting the journey, either alone orwith their families.

"They're very young," said Rezaie, noting the crowd of migrants preparing to make the journey with him in a grey smuggler-operated dinghy. "Babies. I think it's too dangerous for them. The parents, maybe they can save one,two children. What about the third or fourth?"

CBC/Radio Canada's Jean-Francois Belanger was on hand as Rezaie boarded a boat for the crossing. Rezaie agreed to record the trip to document what happened next.

You can watch his full story about the journey on Tuesday night'sThe National orby clicking on the video at the top of this page.