Aylan Kurdi’s story: How a small Syrian child came to be washed up on a beach in Turkey

Aylan’s distraught father, Abdullah Kurdi, tried and failed to hold on to his wife and two sons after their boat to the Greek island of Kos capsized. He has reportedly now said his only wish is to return their bodies to their home town of Kobani and then “be buried alongside them”.

The family had been making the treacherous journey across Turkey to Europe in the hope of joining Abdullah’s sister, Teema Kurdi, a hairdresser who has lived in Vancouver, Canada for more than 20 years.

The Independent has taken the decision to publish the image, which some may find offensive, lower down in this article because among the often glib words about the “ongoing migrant crisis”, it is all too easy to forget the reality of the desperate situation facing many refugees.

Speaking to the National Post’sTerry Glavin, Ms Kurdi said she had learned of Aylan’s death, as well as that of his brother Galip and mother Rihan, at 5am on Wednesday morning. The images of Aylan emerged in Turkish media at around midday, and have since sparked international outrage over the refugee crisis.

Glavin told BBC Radio 5 live on Thursday that Ms Kurdi had heard from family members about Abdullah’s desperate battle to save his family in the sea.

“There’s a terrible story he told about swimming from one to the other, finding one [son] who seemed to be alright and then going to another, finding him drowned… and then going back to the first boy and finding him drowned,” he said.

“He made it, but his wife didn’t.”

The BBC’s Fergal Keane has spoken to Abdullah at the mortuary in Turkey where the bodies were taken.

“I just want to see my children for the last time and stay forever with them,” Abdullah said.

The Turkish government has reportedly said it will repatriate the bodies to Kobani. Officials said the family’s name was in fact Shenu, though Kurdi was widely used in Turkish media.

Jenan Moussa, a journalist with Dubai’s Al Aan TV, said she had confirmed with sources in Kobani that the Kurdish family hailed from the recently-embattled Syrian city.

She said Abdullah was a barber originally from Damascus, who fled from Kobani to Turkey but “dreamed of a future in Canada” for his family.

“Abdullah paid €4000 (£2900) for his family to get on a 5m-long dinghy from Bodrum to Greece. He borrowed money. This was not their first attempt to get to Greece.