THE Greek and Turkish governments were today called on to launch an urgent rescue of Syrian refugees trapped for over a week on an islet in the river that separates the two countries.

About 70 people have been stuck on a small island in the Evros River since August 5, and at least three of them have already died, including a five-year-old girl after she was stung by a scorpion. Her sister was also stung, but her fate is not yet known.

Alarm Phone, an activist network that operates an emergency hotline for people at Europe's edges, was first contacted by the group on August 6.