Illegal migrants leaving Greece found in North Macedonia in truck

Police in North Macedonia discovered 42 migrants in a truck in the southeastern part of the country close to the border with Greece reports Associated Press.

According to the media report, a police patrol car followed the truck Saturday near the town of Star Dojran, 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of the capital of Skopje, intending to flag it down and inspect it. Before they could do so, the driver of the truck and a passenger escaped out while the vehicle was moving. The truck then turned and hit the police patrol car. No one was injured in the accident.

Police identified 41 migrants from Syria and one Bangladeshi crammed in the back of the truck.

The group was transferred to a migrant shelter in the border town of Gevgelija, and are waiting for deportation back to Greece the point of entry into the country.

Police said this was the first large group of migrants caught in North Macedonia in the past six months.

The small Balkan country is one of the routes for migrants wanting to go to wealthier countries in Europe. But since the COVID-19 pandemic and more stringent border controls, Albania has become the sought place for migrants crossing over from Greece on their way to central and northern Europe.