Skip to content
Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Heartbreaking images of drowned Syrian toddler captures the Middle East's refugee crisis

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
Thousands dead this year in their attempt to flee Syria and the Middle East

Images depicting the body of a drowned toddler lying on the shores of Bodrum have gone viral, showcasing the desperation of fleeing migrants from Syria and the middle East.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (Catholic Online) - Two boats carrying fleeing immigrants capsized on its way to the Greek island of Kos, leaving 12 migrants drowned off the Turkish coast.

The Turkish media reported the toddler, still dressed in a bright red T-shirt and shorts, was identified as 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi. His 5-year-old brother also died when the boat capsized.

The boys were from Kobani, a Syrian town caught between Islamic State militants and Kurdish regional forces. The images were reposted on Twitter featuring the hashtag "#KiyiyaVuranInsanlik," meaning "Humanity washed ashore."

Hundreds of migrants attempt to take the route between Bodrum and Kos as it is only a few miles long and is among the shortest from Turkey to the Greek islands, but it is also extremely dangerous.
The first boat was overloaded and sank in international waters after leaving Bodrom, reports Turkey's private Dogan news agency. Eight people drowned from the incident, seven were rescued and two were reported missing.

Hours after the first boat sank, a rubber boat carrying Syrians from Kobani sank after leaving Bodrum. A woman and three children drowned in that incident, Dogan reports. Their bodies were discovered by employees of an aquatics sports center.

An unnamed senior Turkish naval official told Reuters that Turkish vessels have rescued nearly 100 people trying to reach Kos. 

Aid groups believe roughly 2,000 people have been crossing into Greece's eastern islands in August alone. The U.N. Human Refugee agency says over 2,500 people have died this year in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Prayer of the Day logo
Saint of the Day logo

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.