Two children from a Kurdish family traveling from Iraq's Kurdistan region to Germany have died after their boat capsized in the Meriç River along the Turkey-Greece border. A third child remains missing as search operations continue.
The family of five from Sulaymaniyah was among eight people attempting to cross into Greece in an inflatable boat on the evening of Oct 14.
The incident occurred near the NATO Bridge in Bosnaköy, a village in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province.
The parents, Hozan Rüstem and Herêm Muhammed, survived the capsizing, but their three children were swept away.
The couple said they went to a border police station after the incident to seek help from security forces. Search and rescue operations were launched involving the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), gendarmerie and medical teams.
One of the children, Heryad, was pulled from the water and taken to Trakya University Medical Faculty Hospital, where the child died.
The body of five-year-old Mêla was recovered on Oct 17. Search teams are still working to locate the couple's third child, Hestiyar.
Rüstem and Muhammed are currently being held at the Edirne Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.
'They told us the water was only knee-deep'
Rüstem told bianet that migrant smugglers had assured the family that the crossing was safe, but conditions were different when they reached the riverbank.
She said the boat struck a tree and capsized after traveling approximately two meters into the river. In the darkness, she lost sight of her children, and her husband was only able to rescue her.
"The smugglers told us the water was knee-deep and that the crossing would take about 20 minutes," Rüstem recalled.
"Then we arrived at the riverbank. There were eight of us. They put all of us, along with our bags, into a four-person inflatable boat. Despite all our objections, they threatened us, forced us into the boat and pushed us into the river."
Rüstem said she did not want to leave Turkey until her missing child, Hestiyar, was found.
Three suspects identified
Authorities have identified three suspects in connection with the incident. One is reportedly from Iraq's Kurdistan Region, while the other two are Turkish citizens.
Efforts to apprehend the suspects are continuing.
Child deaths along migration routes
Migration from Iraq's Kurdistan Region to Europe has been driven by a combination of economic and political factors.
According to research by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), cited by InfoMigrants, limited economic opportunities, youth unemployment, corruption, governance problems and political uncertainty are among the main reasons people leave the region.
Children are among those making these journeys, often accompanied by their families.
A joint report published on Oct 2 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that 9,978 children had reached Greece by land or sea in 2025.
Of those children, 6,971 traveled with their families or an adult responsible for their care.
In a separate statement on Oct 13, the IOM reported that at least 4,414 children had died along migration routes worldwide between 2014 and 2025.
However, the organization warned that the actual death toll could be substantially higher.
Age information was unavailable in 55.5% of the approximately 81,000 deaths and disappearances recorded along migration routes during the same period, making it difficult to determine the full number of child fatalities.
The IOM called for expanded search and rescue capacity, more comprehensive recording of migrant deaths, and stronger data-sharing arrangements between governments and humanitarian organizations to prevent further loss of life.
(FY/VK)
