In Iraq, the family mourns the daughter who drowned on the crossing to the UK New Galleries

Snowballs, stuffed animals and makeup brushes: The jewelry left by Maryam Nouri, who died this week in northern Iraq, was accompanied by at least 26 others on an unfortunate trip in their dreams to reach the UK.

A wake of Nouri, who is called Baran by his friends and relatives, took place in Sora on Sunday in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq. The male relatives sat outside the family home, counting prayer beads in his memory, according to local customs. His body has not yet been returned to Iraq, awaiting legal action, they said.

Nouri, 24, boarded an inflatable boat carrying people with her fiancé, Karzan, hoping to reunite in Britain. He obtained a Schengen visa for Europe, and on 1 November traveled to Italy, and later to Germany and France.

She didn’t tell her groom that she planned to travel across the English Channel on Wednesday until it was too late. The weak ship sank a few miles off the coast of France. drowning at least 27 people were traveling to Britain. The French interior minister said it was the biggest migration tragedy to date. The nationalities of the dead were not immediately known, but many are believed to have been Iraqis.

The number of people fleeing conflict or poverty in Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea or elsewhere is increasing the risk of dangerous travel on small and non-small boats. France, Hoping to win asylum in the UK or find better opportunities. Crossings have tripled this year compared to 2020.

Aid groups have accused European governments of tightening their migration policy as they push for a recent rise in smuggling.

Nouri tried many times to get a visa to the UK, but failed.

The disproportionate number of people seeking refuge has been a relatively stable Kurdish region in Iraq, and they chose to sell their homes, cars and other things in order to pay smugglers to reach the European Union. Rising unemployment, endemic corruption and the recent economic crisis that has reduced state wages have undermined the faith of a decent future for their autonomous community and sparked the desire of many. leave.

In Nouri’s untouched bedroom, large red stuffed animals cover a well-made bed. There are makeup brushes and a snowball (a newlywed couple) and photos of her boyfriend.

While the men were gathering to recite verses from the Koran, Nouri Dargalayi, Nouri’s father, greeted the guests.

Her daughter performed her engagement ceremony here, she said, pointing to the site where relatives were gathered to greet her.

“[The couple] they were trying to build a decent life for themselves, but it was over, ”he said.