Relatives of Alan Kurdi - the young Syrian boy who drowned off the coast of Turkey, sparking a major global outcry - are said to have been granted permission to settle in Canada.
CBC reports that Alan's Canadian aunt, Tima Kurdi, has claimed that an application for Alan's uncle Mohammed, aunt Ghousoun and their five children has been approved, as part of Ottawa's new refugee settlement strategy
An email from Immigration Canada is said to confirm the approval, but a spokesperson for the organisation would only confirm to BBC "that the processing of their application is proceeding well".
Alan (3), his five-year-old brother Galib, and his mother Rehana drowned after their inflatable boat capsized while they were trying to reach Greece from Syria. Photographs of Alan's body were widely circulated online and on social media.
The deaths caused a strong political response in Canada, following reports that the country had rejected the family's refugee application. However the planned application had not been submitted, after the original application for Mohammed and his family was rejected.
Alan's father Abdullah says he no longer intends travelling to Canada, telling CBC, "I was angry at their government but now … my hard feelings are gone".
