In Iraq, a family mourns the death of a daughter who drowned while crossing the UK | Gallery News

Snow globes, teddy bears and ointment brushes – these were trinkets left in northern Iraq by Maryam Nouri who died this week along with at least 26 others on a nightmare on a dream trip to the United Kingdom.

The wake of Nouri, called Baran by friends and relatives, took place in Soran on Sunday in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq. The male relatives sat outside the family home, reciting prayer beads in his memory, in keeping with local custom. His body has not been returned to Iraq, pending legal proceedings, he said.

Nouri, a 24-year-old man aboard the scorching boat carrying people waiting to be reunited with his girlfriend, Karzan, in Britain. He obtained a Schengen visa to Europe, and traveled to Italy on November 1, and later to Germany and France.

He did not tell his friend that he was planning a trip across the English Channel on Wednesday until it was too late. The weak boat sank a few miles off the coast of France, to stop at least 27 people travel to Britain. The French Interior Minister has called the biggest migration crisis so far. The exact names of the dead were not immediately known, but many believe they are Iraqi.

An increasing number of people fleeing conflict or poverty in Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea or elsewhere are at risk of dangerous voyages in small, immovable boats. France, I hope to achieve security or a better chance in Britain. Crossing has tripled this year compared to 2020.

Aid agencies have criticized European governments for their proliferation of immigration policies which are said to be contributing to the recent rise in smuggling.

Nouri made several attempts to obtain a visa to the UK but to no avail.

An innumerable number of refugees are from the Kurdish region of Iraq, which has decided to sell their homes, cars and property to pay for smugglers with the hope of reaching the European Union. Rising unemployment, global corruption, and recent economic crises that have lowered government spending have eroded confidence in the future of their autonomy and have sparked widespread outrage. exhaustion.

In Nouri’s untouched room, large red bears cover his well-kept bed. There are brushes and makeup – one of the newlyweds – with photos of the sender.

As the men gathered to recite verses from the Quran, Nouri Dargalayi, Nouri’s father, greeted the guests.

Her daughter had an affair here, she said, pointing to a place where relatives gathered to pay their respects.

“[The couple] “They were trying to make a living for themselves, but it just didn’t work out,” he said.