Ankara, (IINA) – A number of Syrian refugees on their way to Greek Islands have drowned and were washed ashore on a beach in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum on Wednesday. Photos were taken as the Turkish police officers carried the bodies away, a particular image of a young boy lying face down on the sand spread quickly online, sending shock waves across the global community.
According to Reuters, the confirmed dead included five children and one woman. Seven people were rescued and two reached the shore in life jackets.
Washington Post reported that the scale of the Syrian refugee crisis is hard to grasp, about 11 million people (half of Syria’s population) have either died or fled their homes since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. About 4 million of which have been forced out of the country.
The Turkish Army stated that search and rescue teams had saved hundreds of migrants in the seas between Turkey and Greek islands over the last few days, noting that tens of thousands of Syrians are fleeing the war in their homeland through Turkey’s Aegean coast in an attempt to reach Greece.
Aid agencies estimate that over the past month, about 2,000 people a day have been making the short crossing to Greece’s eastern islands on rubber boats.
In a related context, UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs said on Tuesday that aid agencies have only received one third of the funding needed for the Syria Response Plan and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan. He noted that the combined plans call for $7.42 billion, of which only $2.38 billion has been received, forcing aid agencies to scale back.
The Undersecretary pointed out that the short funded World Food Program has already scaled back food aid by one fifth, and food vouchers by as much as half for some displaced communities, and will have to further reduce its food aid and cash assistance.
AG/IINA
The world is shocked, pictures of drowned Syrian boy on Turkish beach
REFILE - CORRECTING BYLINEATTENTION EDITORS - VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH OR INJURYA young migrant, who drowned in a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos, lies on the shore in the Turkish coastal town of Bodrum, Turkey, September 2, 2015. At least 11 migrants believed to be Syrians drowned as two boats sank after leaving southwest Turkey for the Greek island of Kos, Turkey's Dogan news agency reported on Wednesday. It said a boat carrying 16 Syrian migrants had sunk after leaving the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula, and seven people had died. Four people were rescued and the coastguard was continuing its search for five people still missing. Separately, a boat carrying six Syrians sank after leaving Akyarlar on the same route. Three children and one woman drowned and two people survived after reaching the shore in life jackets. REUTERS/Nilufer Demir/DHAATTENTION EDITORS - NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. TURKEY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN TURKEY. TEMPLATE OUT