Drowned Toddler Sadly Illustrates Migrant Crisis

(Warning: Links on this story go to disturbing images.) Photos of the lifeless body of a Syrian toddler who drowned while trying to reach the Greek island of Kos were sweeping the Internet today and fast becoming THE images of Europe's migrant crisis. They're disturbing, however, so be warned before viewing. You can see one in the photo gallery that accompanies this story—you'll have to click by the first image to get to it, done as a precaution to shield those who don't want to view it—or by clicking on this link to the Guardian or to the websites that follow. The Guardian is actually running two photos, one of the boy's body on the beach and another of a police officer carrying the child away.

"At first glance, it looks like a baby doll—maybe left behind by a pint-sized tourist in this popular beach resort," writes Cassandra Vinograd at NBC News. And then "grim reality" becomes clear. Mashable sums it up this way: "If this photo doesn't make you care about the refugee crisis, nothing will." The boy drowned with at least 11 others as two boats tried to reach Greece from Syria. His body washed up on a beach by the Turkish resort town of Bodrum. (Click for a file of must-reads that explain what's happening in Europe.)