The harrowing discovery comes after a boat carrying 15 refugees to the Greek island of Chios sank on Friday.
Advertisement
Just weeks after images of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi shook the world, yet another 4 year old Syrian girl’s body washed up on a western Turkey’s beach on Friday, reports the state media.
The girl who died was found unconscious and was later declared dead in hospital, Lagkadianos said, adding that the coastguard and Greek navy were searching for survivors.
Kurdi was one of the 12 Syrian refugees, including eight children, who had drowned that day after their boat sank en route to the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
“Our Coast Guard units have rescued 53,228 people, while 274 people have died” in Turkish waters, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said at a news conference.
Migrants have in recent days turned to Turkey’s land borders with Greece and Bulgaria to avoid the sea voyage that has cost over 2,600 people their lives in the Mediterranean this year.
Of the 300,000 refugees and migrants who have arrived in Greece so far this year, more than 93,000 have landed in Lesbos, where the infrastructure is unable to cope.
VICE News travels to Lesbos, where a sudden influx of 20,000 migrants has stretched the island’s ability to cope to breaking point. More number of countries needs to come forward to curb the refugee crisis.
Advertisement
Initially expecting only tens of thousands of people to cross the border, Ankara has since the start of the conflict constructed well-equipped refugee camps in the world, and has latterly given refugees access to healthcare and education.
