The English Channel has identified the first of a large number of drowning refugees this week, a Kurdish woman from northern Iraq.
According to Arab News, Maryam Noori Mohammad Amin, 24, was texting her fianc in the UK on Wednesday when her boat sank.
She was one of 27 people killed while trying to make the perilous journey from the French coast to Britain. This dangerous journey has claimed dozens of lives this year.Her fianc told the BBC she had tried to convince him she would be rescued but that she had died along with 26 others. Only two passengers survived the crash.
The dead included 17 men, six women (one of whom was pregnant) and three children.
The two survivors, a Somali and an Iraqi, have been discharged from a French hospital and are expected to be questioned about the incident.
Maryam Noori Mohammad Amin had tried to travel with a female relative. The couple hoped to meet their family in the UK.
Shortly before the boat capsized, he texted his fianc on SnapChat.
He was from the Kurdish town of Soran in northeastern Iraq. His family is waiting for his body to return for the final rites.
One of her relatives said, "Her story is the same for everyone - she was looking for a better life. One of his uncles was one of my closest people. They took care of us when my father was a political prisoner. But this family has lived a miserable life.
