Migrant Rescue Boat Renowned in Honor of Syrian Boy Alan Kurdi



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The troubling image of his death shows the world the dangers faced by Syrian refugees when they flee their country in the midst of a devastating civil war.

On Sunday, Alan Kurdi's name was awarded to a German rescue ship operated by Sea-Eye, a non-profit organization that tries to rescue refugees in such dangerous situations.

Gorden Isler, a fundraiser for Sea-Eye, said he had christened the boat in the boy's honor after seeing a photo of him on the beach in September 2015.

"When I saw Alan's picture in September 2015, I had just left my daughter Nina's room, three months old," he said. "The photo of the dead boy brings me the happiest moment of my life and throws me directly and bluntly into the deepest chasm." She touched and touched me, but also destroyed something fundamental in me. "

Abdullah Kurdi and his sister Tima stand in front of a rescue vessel named after Alan Kurdi during the inauguration of the ship in Palma de Mallorca on Sunday.

Abdullah Kurdi, the boy's father, also spoke at the baptismal ceremony of the ship.

"This day is very difficult for me, because I feel many memories," he said. "But I want to support Sea-Eye, I'm grateful to the club for choosing the name of my boy, they are people who have a good heart in this organization, so my boy's name represents something good and his little soul can find peace. "

The Kurdi family, made up of Kurds from Syria, was trying to reach relatives in Vancouver, Canada. Alan, his four-year-old brother and his mother Rehen all died during the Aegean boat trip to Greece. Abdullah Kurdi was the only one to survive.
Two Syrian men were sentenced in Turkey to more than four years in prison for the boat crash that cost them their lives.

Sea-Eye said that Abdullah Kurdi was living in Erbil and had gone to Palma for the ship's baptism ceremony. His sister, Tima Kurdi, accompanied him and translated his words, said the group.

CNN's AJ Davis contributed to this report.

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