Turkey charges four Syrians over boat deaths as journalists flock to 'migrant beach'

Days after the world's conscience was shocked by the image of a dead toddler washed up on a Turkish beach, the only thing holding back more Syrian refugees from attempting the same crossing was a media frenzy of journalists crowding the shore. Meanwhile, a Turkish court has remanded in custody four Syrians over the deaths of at least 12 migrants, including the three-year-old Aylan Kurdi.
 
"We saw the picture of the baby, (but) we have no other chance," says 36-year old Abdulmenem Alsatouf, a father of three children who once ran a supermarket in the Syrian city of Idlib.

As a Turkish court charged four alleged Syrian smugglers in connection with the three-year-old's death, Alsatouf was one of thousands of migrants waiting for their chance to brave the 4 km (2 miles) of water to the Greek island of Kos.

The nocturnal crossing, from the Turkish resort of Bodrum, is just one perilous leg of a journey for which smugglers charge thousands of dollars.

"We can't go back to Idlib, and there is no job for us in Turkey. I want to go to Germany but Sweden, Belgium, they are all fine. We are going to go to Kos in a few days," he added.

The Turkish coastguard said it stopped 57 people in three boats on Sept. 3 night. But that is a tiny fraction of the 2,000 migrants a day that aid groups say have been reaching Greece.

Harrowing images showing the tiny body of Aylan Kurdi lying face-down in the surf near Bodrum have jolted European governments and put a human face on the crisis. His five-year-old brother Galip and mother were also among at least 12 who died from a group of 23 on two boats.

But those planning to make the journey say they already know the odds. The United Nations refugee agency estimates more than 300...