Blaze Media
© 2025 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Horrifying Photo of Drowned Syrian Boy's Lifeless Body Washed Ashore Highlights Plight of Migrants
Migrants who tried to begin their journey with a boat from near the coastal town of Bodrum, Turkey, early Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015 to cross to the nearby Greek island of Kos collect their belongings after they were towed back ashore by a private boat. Following their failed attempt and after the Turkish coastguard took off the boat's engine according to them, the private boat, which owner Arif Yılmaz, 52, said he was hired by a media crew following migrants leaving Turkey, towed them back ashore. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)\n

Horrifying Photo of Drowned Syrian Boy's Lifeless Body Washed Ashore Highlights Plight of Migrants

A photograph of a drowned Syrian boy who washed ashore a Turkish resort town shocked the world Wednesday, highlighting the plight of migrants who are are seeking refuge in Europe.

The horrifying image showed the boy's lifeless body clothed in a red shirt and lying face-down in the beach town of Bodrum. At least 12 Syrians died trying to reach Greece when their boats sank.

The photo trended on Twitter worldwide under the hashtag "#KiyiyaVuranInsanlik" or "humanity washed ashore."

A local fisherman was the one to spot the child's body ashore.

"I came to the sea and I was scared. My heart is broken," he said, according to the BBC.

A paramilitary police officer carries the lifeless body of an unidentified migrant child, lifting it from the sea shore, near the Turkish resort of Bodrum, Turkey, early Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/DHA)

A Turkish media outlet reported that the boy's family had traveled to Turkey earlier after fleeing the Islamic State in Syria, according to the BBC.

—

Follow the author of this story on Twitter and Facebook:

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
Oliver Darcy

Oliver Darcy

more stories