ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The body of Mela Harem, a five-year-old Kurdish girl who drowned when a boat carrying her family and other migrants capsized in a river along the Turkey-Greece border, has been found, a Turkish rescue official confirmed to Rudaw on Saturday.
“It has been confirmed that the body is Mela Harem,” an official from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) told Rudaw's Omar Sonmez at the site where the body was located.
Mela was one of three children who drowned on Wednesday when an overcrowded inflatable boat capsized in the Maritsa (Meric) River, known as the Evros in Greece, along the border between the two countries, as the family attempted to cross into Greece on their way to Germany.
The children’s father, Harem Mohammed, previously recounted to Rudaw how smugglers threatened him and forced his family onto a boat he said was too small to accommodate everyone on board.
Speaking by phone to Nma Nabaz, presenter of Rudaw’s Korozh news bulletin on Saturday, Mohammed pleaded with the public to refrain from adding to his family’s suffering following the tragedy.
“Please do not cause us so much pain. I did not know my fate would turn out like this. I wanted to provide a better life for my children. I am heartbroken; please leave us alone,” he said.
Mohammed said he had flown from Sulaimani to Turkey before traveling to the border city of Edirne, where he met the smugglers who arranged the crossing.
“Our smuggler was named Rekan, from Erbil, along with a guide named Sarbaz, who was also from Erbil,” he told Rudaw.
Recounting the moment the boat capsized, Mohammed said it struck a tree shortly after entering the water.
“As soon as we entered the water and moved just two meters, the boat hit a tree and capsized. When it overturned, I couldn't see anything—neither the children nor anyone else. I was only able to rescue my wife. The guides, who knew how to swim, saved themselves and fled,” he said.
Mohammed and his wife, Hozan Rostam, subsequently reached a Turkish border guard post and alerted authorities to the incident.
“I turned myself in to the border guards and told them, 'My three children have drowned in the water.' They immediately notified rescue teams and divers,” he said.
The couple’s three children were Hastyar, 12, Haryad, 9, and Mela, 5. One child was pulled from the river but later died in hospital in Edirne, while the other two were swept away by strong currents.
Turkish authorities launched a search-and-rescue operation involving AFAD and gendarmerie units to locate the missing children.
Mohammed had also appealed to the Kurdish authorities to help recover and repatriate his children’s bodies to the Kurdistan Region.
The family had hoped to reach Germany through Greece and had reportedly deposited $55,000 with smugglers, to be paid upon their arrival.
In an earlier warning to other families considering irregular migration routes, Mohammed urged parents not to place their trust in smugglers.
“Don't break your own hearts as I have broken mine, and don't be deceived by the words of smugglers,” he said.
