Remains of missing Kurdish-Iranian baby found in Norway

Police in Norway have said the body of a baby found on the country's coast is that of a missing 15-month old who died in the English Channel last year.

The child, named Artin, died along with four family members when the boat they were travelling in sank in October, reports the BBC.

The Kurdish-Iranian family had been attempting to reach the UK from France.

Relatives of the family have spoken of their grief and confusion as they waited to hear what had happened to Artin.

But now the child's remains will be flown back to Iran to be buried.In a statement on Monday, police in Norway said the body was found on the country's south-western shore near Karmoy on New Year's Day.

A DNA profile was then obtained and the family were notified that it was Artin.

"Skilled professionals in the department of forensic sciences at Oslo University Hospital managed to retrieve matching DNA profiles," the police statement said.

image captionFour members of Artin's family also died when the boat sank in October

The boat carrying the family sank on 27 October. Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, all died.

The family were from the city of Sardasht in western Iran, near to the border with Iraq.

Fifteen other migrants were taken to hospital and an investigation into the sinking was opened in Dunkirk by the French public prosecutor.

Thousands of Iranian-Kurdish refugees put the lives of their families in the hands of smugglers and go to Europe every year.

The Kurdish region in Iran has faced both political persecution and vast economic disparity.

Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.

They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.