Shocking images of dead bodies, boy drowned trying to escape Syria, goes viral on Internet
The Wednesday images of the lifeless body of a young boy, one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos, went viral on the Internet and rocked the headlines as the Syrian crisis goes ignored by the press. The images are trending on Twitter under the hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik – which translates as ‘Humanity washed ashore.’
The picture, taken on Wednesday morning, depicted the dark-haired toddler, wearing a bright-red T-shirt and shorts, washed up on a beach, lying face down in the surf not far from Turkey’s fashionable resort town of Bodrum.
photo/ twitter
Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “This tragic image of a little boy who’s lost his life fleeing Syria is shocking and is a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life. This child’s plight should concentrate minds and force the EU to come together and agree to a plan to tackle the refugee crisis.”
Greek authorities, coping with what has become the biggest migration crisis in living memory, said the boy was among a group of refugees escaping Islamic State in Syria.
Turkish officials, corroborating the reports, said 12 people died after two boats carrying a total of 23 people, capsized after setting off separately from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula. Among the dead were five children and a woman. Seven others were rescued and two reached the shore in lifejackets but hopes were fading of saving the two people still missing.
“The problem is very big,” said Mouzalas, a doctor who is also a member of the Doctors of the World aid organisation. “If the European Union doesn’t intervene quickly to absorb the populations … if the issue isn’t internationalised on a UN level, every so often we will be discussing how to avoid the crisis,” he told reporters, insisting that the thousands risking their lives to flee conflict were refugees. “There is no migration issue, remove that – it is a refugee issue,” he said.
photo/ twitter
Editor’s Note: Despite the graphic nature of these images, the shock and horror appear to be needed to instigate change and confrontation of the evils in this war. There is an obvious assault on human rights and if there is any positive that could come from this poor child’s death is the hope that a real movement can form against these madmen.
