Migrant crisis: Turkish beach carries another drowned child to shore
A Syrian girl's body has reportedly washed up on a beach on the western side of Turkey, weeks after images surfaced of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who shook the world.
According to ABC News, the yet-to-be identified girl is believed to be four years old. She was found lifeless on a beach in the Aegean town of Cesme in Izmir province. The official Anatolia news agency says she is believed to have been one of the 15 Syrians who rode a boat to the Greek islands of Chios. The boat reportedly sank on the way.
Reports say the Turkish coast guard has rescued the remaining 14 Syrians on board the boat, including eight children. It appears that the girl is the only casualty among those carried by the inflatable boat.
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Weeks ago, the harrowing images of three-year-old Aylan, whose body was discovered on Turkish shores, caused an outpour of mixed emotions across the globe. It was reported that he drowned after a boat carrying his family to the Greek island of Kos sank.
While the world's response of anger and gripe against the bloody war has put European leaders on hot waters, two weeks later, members of the European Union are still struggling with effective ways to help migrants who are seeking asylum in Europe.
According to Turkish deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, the Turkish coast guard has helped over 53,000 refugees from sinking or totally sunken boats since early this year.
Kurtulmus said around 274 migrants have drowned in Turkish waters this year as they try to get away from the war and violence in their own country. In the recent weeks, asylum seekers have sought refuge in Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria to avoid paying the cost of lives in the Mediterranean that killed over 2,600 people this year.
Some refugees deem that the city of Edirne, which is around the Turkish border, is a safer route out of Turkey than getting on boats with no assurance of living once on sea.
