The Greek police announced Monday evening that they had found 38 migrants. According to the United Nations, they had been trapped for several days on an island in the Evros River, the natural border between Turkey and Greece. “Under the threat of violence, Turkey has forced them to move towards Greece,” the minister confirmed in a statement during a visit to the region. He said 35 Syrians and three Palestinians were on the Turkish side of the river and were forced to move to the island by Turkish authorities.
“According to witnesses, a 5-year-old child has died on Turkish soil and that is unfortunate,” the minister said. He said that the Greek authorities will enlist the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) so that they can “find the child’s body on the Turkish island and her family can bury her with dignity,” he said. According to the minister, the group was found on a boat about 4 kilometers from the Turkish island in the Evros. A pregnant woman is said to have been among the migrants, is now in hospital.
NGOs and local media warned several days ago that the migrants had been illegally expelled from Turkey and are making their way to the island in the river Evros. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called for “urgent measures” to rescue the migrants.