Heart-rending pictures of a toddler's lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach sparked horror on Wednesday as the cost of Europe's growing refugee crisis hit home. The images of a tiny child lying face down in the surf at one of Turkey's main tourist resorts has once more put a human face on the dangers faced by tens of thousands of desperate people who risk life and limb to seek a new life in Europe. Wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts, the child -- identified as three-year-old Aylan Kurdi -- is believed to be one of least 12 Syrians who died when their boats sank trying to reach Greece. The bleak image spread like lightning through social media and dominated front pages from Spain to Sweden, with commentators unanimous it had rammed home the horrors faced by those fleeing war and conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
Circulating with the Turkish hashtag "#KiyiyaVuranInsanlik" ("Humanity washed ashore"), the picture made it to Twitter's top world trending topics. People posted many poignant artworks based on young boy's death on their social media accounts.
Hell is the reality we living in.. #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik pic.twitter.com/73wblRdkd8
— Khaled Yeslam | خالد (@kyeslam) September 3, 2015
"We are losing ourselves as humans,and the people will die around the borders." #SyrianRefugees #DrownedSyrianBoy pic.twitter.com/WCpsMiksRV
— Azzam Daaboul (@AzzamDaaboul) September 3, 2015
How his story should have ended... #SyrianRefugees #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik pic.twitter.com/nXgpV7tZWr
— Steve Dennis (@SteveDennis71) September 3, 2015
#KıyıyaVuranİnsanlık pic.twitter.com/GRn3Du42Wu
— ugurgallen ltd.şti. (@ugurgallen) September 2, 2015