In the latest tragedy involving irregular migration to Europe, three children from a family originating in the city of Sulaymaniyah drowned in the Meriç (Maritsa) River in Turkey after their small wooden boat capsized due to overcrowding. The children’s parents have been detained by Turkish police, while the whereabouts of the bodies of two of the children remain unknown.
The incident occurred on the evening of Wednesday, 14 October 2026, in the Edirne area of Turkey, along the Meriç River. A group of eight people from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq — consisting of a family of five and three other young men — were attempting to reach Greek territory by crossing the river.
According to the information available, the smugglers forced all eight people onto a small wooden boat that was not capable of carrying so many passengers, despite the family’s objections and warnings that the boat could not safely accommodate them. This led to the boat breaking apart and all its passengers falling into the water.
According to accounts provided by migrant-rights activists, who relayed information from the victims’ relatives, one of the children was immediately pulled from the water by rescue teams and taken to a hospital in Edirne. However, the child later died in hospital due to the severity of their condition. The other two children were swept away by the strong current, and their bodies have still not been found.
After being rescued, the children’s parents were detained by Turkish police for questioning, while the other three young men left the scene.
The children’s relatives in Sulaymaniyah have described the incident as a devastating tragedy. Wasta Reza, the children’s grandfather, made an emotional appeal to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, urging him to intervene immediately and contact Turkish authorities to intensify efforts to locate the bodies of the two children who remain missing.
The children’s maternal uncle also revealed that he had been in telephone contact with their parents at the time of the tragedy. According to him, the parents made desperate, tearful pleas for help after watching the water sweep all three of their children away before their eyes.
The Meriç River, which forms a natural border between northwestern Turkey and northeastern Greece, has become one of the most dangerous and deadly routes for irregular migration into European Union countries in recent years.
To evade border patrols, smugglers force migrants to cross the river at night and in adverse weather conditions, often using poor-quality inflatable boats. These dangerous crossings repeatedly result in capsizing incidents and drownings, particularly among women and children.
Despite repeated warnings about the dangers, thousands of young people and families from various countries, including the Kurdistan Region, continue to risk their lives each year in these perilous and often foreseeable tragedies.