The lifeless body of a six- to seven - year- old boy believed to be a migrant trying to get to Europe has washed up on a southern Spanish beach, authorities said Sunday .
In a grim reminder of the discovery of Aylan Kurdi , the three -year - old Syrian boy found drowned on a Turkish beach in 2015, the body was found Friday in the municipality of Barbate on Spain’ s southern tip .A spokesman for the Madrid government based in Cadiz province, where Barbate is located, told AFP the boy was believed to be six to seven years old .
“ The hypothesis is that he was a migrant, ” he said , adding that the bodies of other people believed to be migrants travelling from north Africa had washed up on the coast further east more than two weeks ago .
Authorities are investigating “ to see if there is any kind of link, ” he said .
The September 15 picture of Aylan ’ s tiny lifeless body sent shockwaves around the world , becoming one of the most searing images of the migrant crisis .
While the focus has often been on the migrants and refugees heading to Europe via Turkey , Greece and Italy , a smaller number also head for Spain .
The country has two enclaves in north Africa — Ceuta and Melilla — surrounded by high barriers that are regularly stormed by migrants.
Others , most of them from sub-Saharan Africa , take to rickety boats to try to cross the narrow stretch of sea between Spain’ s southern tip and Morocco.
According to the International Organization for Migration , 13, 246 migrants arrived in Spain last year, more than 8, 100 of whom came by sea .
This compares to the more than 181, 000 and close to 177, 000 who arrived in Italy and Greece respectively .
( AFP)
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