3 Syrian refugee boys from Calais reunite with families in Britain

Three unaccompanied Syrian boys Monday arrived in Britain from the refugee camp in Calais to be reunited with their relatives, local media said.

Three boys, aged between 14 and 16, traveled by the Eurostar from northern France on Monday morning and arrived at St Pancras in London. They could stay with their family members in Britain after a rarely used legal process admitted them, while their asylum claims are being assessed, the Guardian said.

The move was hailed by local charities and refugee groups, regarded as an "important milestone" in the treatment of lone children stuck between Britain and France.

However, they pointed out that the legal process is too slow and complicated, while no effective system for unaccompanied children in the refugee camp has been carried out. They said the legal process could take up to a year and cases may fail.

There are approximately 150 lone children in the refugee camp holding legal rights to enter Britain, according to charities and refugee groups.

A boy from Afghanistan died in the back of a lorry in January on his way to reach his sister in Britain, Citizens UK said.

"Today, we look forward to celebrating the arrival of these three vulnerable children who have already experienced more loss and hardship than any child should have to bear," a spokesperson of Citizens UK said.

"Tomorrow, we will be returning to the work of reuniting the rest of the 150 children who are still stuck in the system, waiting to be reunited with their families in the UK. We call on the government to speed up this process so that the children can be where they belong, with their families in the UK," the spokesperson added. Endit