No, four-year-old Marwan fleeing Syria was not "alone" in the desert

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By Thomas Seymat
No, four-year-old Marwan fleeing Syria was not "alone" in the desert

A heartbreaking picture that went viral yesterday on Twitter showed a four-year-old boy, identified as Marwan, who appeared to have just been found in the desert by UNHCR staff.

It has now emerged that, contrary to what euronews initially reported, little Marwan, while separated from his family for a period of time, was not alone.

A discussion thread initiated on the Open Newsroom G+, a journalistic community dedicated to verifying online news, mentions that Guardian journalist Shiv Malik, quoting a UNHCR press officer on the scene, said the child was “20 steps” ahead of his family.

Read the Storify of the discussion here: