One migrant killed in Turkish-Greek shooting on Evros river
2 Min Read
A woman was killed "almost at point-blank range."
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Migrants stand on the Evros river banks, a natural border between Turkey and Greece, near Edirne, Turkey, March 2, 2020. (Reuters)
One migrant was killed in a shooting between Greek border guards and a boat coming from Turkey carrying illegal migrants. The incident occurred on the river Evros near Soufli, a Greek town just on the river.
According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the killing happened after 9 PM local time on Saturday.
The incident: The Greek border patrol eyed a boat approaching its waters, crossing from the Turkish to the Greek side of the river Evros. The river serves as a natural border between the two countries.
Read more: Read more: Turkey: Two killed, 24 rescued in sinking migrant boat
Using light signals, the Greek border guards warned the people on the boat. However, in response, the Turkish boat started shooing at the Greek border guards, which in turn made the Greek side respond the same way, killing a migrant.
Another 6 migrants, on the other hand, were taken in by the Greek authorities, according to the newspaper.
Proto Thema, another Greek newspaper, reported that the victim is a woman, and she was shot "almost at point-blank range" with a 22-caliber gun. The gun is neither used by Greek officers nor used by Turkish officers, and thus the newspaper contends that the woman could've been shot by someone on the boat.
According to the report, bullets firing at Greek border guards came from Turkish territory and thus could've been from the Turkish military.
Proto Thema reports that there were 5 surviving migrants, who are all of African descent, most likely from Ethiopia. The migrants may have been arrested and brought to Alexandroupoli.
Read more: Over 90 migrants killed in Mediterranean boat accident: UN
For many years, Greece has endured conflict with its neighbor, Turkey, over a number of issues including territorial disputes in Cyprus and illegal migration.
