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*Some readers may find an image in this article distressing*
THE TURKISH POLICE officer who found the body of a drowned Syrian toddler washed up on a beach has spoken of his grief at the tragic discovery.
Three-year-old Aylan Kurdi drowned along with his five-year-old brother and his mother when the boat they were on overturned off the Turkish coast.
Images of Sergeant Mehmet Ciplak lifting the little boy’s limp body from the water and carrying him off the beach went viral and provoked an outpouring of sympathy for refugees who are trying to reach Europe.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, the police officer told the Dogan news agency that he thought of his own six-year-old son when he saw the toddler.
“I told myself ‘God I hope he’s alive’, when I approached toddler Aylan. I craved, searched for a sign of life. However, I couldn’t find any signs. I felt sick at heart,” he said.
I thought of my own son, the moment I’ve faced the lifeless body of toddler Aylan and I immediately put myself in Aylan’s father’s place. This is an indescribable pain.
He said he was not aware that he was being photographed and had no idea the images would travel the globe.
“When I noticed the photos on the papers, media, I was shocked, of course. Once again, I confronted that pain,” he said.
The man said people have been asking him “how I managed to carry such a burden in my arms”.
He hopes now that the action it sparked from European leaders will continue.
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ISS is visible several times every year from Ireland
Download the NASA app and go to missions / sighting opportunities and it will tell you exactly where in the sky to watch and the correct time & date.
The ISS passes over Ireland hundreds of times a year. The journal is abit late with this story, for the past week it’s passed directly over us twice every evening .
ISS SPOTTER is a great App if anyone is interested. Tells you when, tells where from and the direction. Makes it very easy to watch out and track it.
22nd, 6:26 pm and 8:04 pm
23rd. 7:15pm
24th 6:26 pm
26th. 6:25pm
Clear sky is only requirement.
Eyesight is also a requirement
You can also get email alerts set up for a certain town/area, I set it up and I’ve seen the space station many times overhead!! All we need is a few clear nights :)
Despite the couple of red thumbs, that made me laugh a wee bit Eddie
how do you set that up Arianna??…..
I can’t remember exactly how I did it,it was a while ago, but this is the email address I receive them from so I’m sure if you google spot the station or go to the nasa website you should be able to find the link, sorry I can’t be of more help! spotthestation@mail.nasa.gov
I miss Chris Hadfield, I only copped onto him for his last 3 months but what a guy, made science so interesting
I read his book and watched Space Oddity on YouTube. Does that count as a sighting?
Would it be half as bright if there were only three astronauts on board?
“The aircraft. . . .”? It’s not an aircraft, it’s a spacecraft. I know this isn’t National Geographic, and a lot of people are no longer bothered about punctuation, spelling or grammar, but it would be good if we could preserve the meanings of at least some words. Then we might have a chance of understanding each other.
Welcome to the journal – where we strive to get things wrong.
They’ve fixed it on the sly –
None of these idiots will notice they said
Well, at least they fixed it, I guess that’s progress of a sort.
“The aircraft will be visible over Ireland for the next four nights”
Sorry for the pedantry but it’s not an aircraft =p
Awesome sight. Science at its best.
I tracked it with a powerful telescope on its last pass over Ireland. I could even read the letters on its underside!
G -A -R -D -A
Report your sighting… Why? We know where it’s gonna be and be seen from.
Oh yes so astronomy ireland can pound you with emails……
Hope I get abducted and probed! #YOLO
It’s not an aircraft. It’s a spacecraft. There is no air up there.
Eh – iv seen it loads of times.
It does this a few times a year
Err, don’t harsh the scientific dudes’ buzz – they get ratty!:-D
Been there.
Nice spot.
Great views.
Aircraft??!! Come on guys in fairness. SPACECRAFT.
This has been passing us around tea time for a couple of weeks already.
Looks like a standard phone box to me!
Seems like a strange story? It’s visible on average 2 or 3 times a week – you can get notifications for your area from spotthestation (.com possibly? Either Google it or search for it on NASA’s website)
have your say