His name was Aylan Kurdi: He was three years old and drowned along with his brother and mother

The three-year-old boy whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a beach in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum would likely be alive and well today had it not been for "complicated paperwork", reports the Patria news agency.

As the Canadian National Post writes, the family of little Aylan Kurdi and his two-year-older brother Galip had applied for a refugee visa for Canada, but their application was rejected in June due to "complications with refugee applications from Turkey".

Teema Kurdi, the sister of the father of the family, who was the sole survivor of the tragedy, said that for months she, along with friends and neighbours, had tried to raise money to sponsor their arrival in Canada. She heard the tragic news from the wife of her other brother, Mohammad. 

"Abdullah called her and just told her that his wife and boys were dead. All he wants now is to go home, bury his family and lie in the grave next to them," said Teema, a hairdresser who has lived in Vancouver for 20 years. 

According to her, the family applied for a "G5" refugee visa, and after being rejected, in desperation they tried to flee the war illegally.

Although Minister Chris Alexander neither confirmed nor denied these claims, NDP MP Fin Donnelly confirmed that he personally submitted the application for the Kurdi family.

"These are horrific, heartbreaking news. The frustration over the waiting and inaction is terrible," Donnelly told the National Post, reports Index.