Evros rescue for 42 immigrants
Authorities said yesterday that they have rescued 42 illegal immigrants in danger of drowning in the Evros River, in northeastern Greece, after they were dumped on an islet in the middle of the river by traffickers. Officials in Orestiada said that they used boats to reach the migrants, including three children, many of whom had climbed trees on the islet to avoid being swept away by the rising tide. They were unable to find a young Indian man who is believed to have attempted to swim to the riverbank to raise the alarm. Police said that they received a phone call on Wednesday morning from relatives of some of those stuck on the islet, informing them that the migrants had been dumped in the middle of the river. However, the Evros has about 150 islets and it took authorities some time to find the stranded immigrants. In May this year, 16 people drowned attempting to cross into the country via the river, which acts as a natural border with Turkey.
