Drowning refugee is saved by Greek model after spending 13 HOURS in sea off Kos

A former model rescued a Syrian refugee on the brink of dying from exhaustion who she found floating in the sea off the Greek coast.

Sandra Tsiligeridu, 42, was returning from an excursion to the island of Pserimos, 10 miles from Kos, with her husband, eight-year-old daughter, and friends when she spotted a man in the water.

The news comes as it emerged that 11 other refugees, believed to be Syrian, drowned today when two boats sank near Kos.

Among them was a child, believed to be only two or three years old, a victim of the migrant crisis that has seen thousands risk their lives to escape war and violence in their own own countries.

Thinking Mohammed was a diver, the group initially turned to avoid him but Sandra noticed the man was in distress.

The group stopped and pulled him from the water. They then realised he had spent 13 hours in the water after diving in to retrieve an oar from a boat with 40 other Syrians that set off from Turkey.

She told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: ‘We saw hands break the surface of the water and my husband thought It was a diver so he started steering away so as not to hit him.

‘But I realised he was in difficulty and began to shout.’

Mrs Tsigeridu said she couldn’t stop herself from crying as the approached the man, who was visibly very cold.

She added: ‘He was done in and in a hypothermic state,shaking. He asked me why I had tears in my eyes and I said I was crying for him. He was struck dumb.’

The Syrian had set off at 5am from Turkey with 40 other Syrians on a dinghy with no motor and dived in to recover an oar.