They were trapped for 2 days on an island located at the confluence of the Evros and Erythropotamos rivers.
Greek police said Thursday they rescued 64 migrants, including 10 children, who had been stranded by mules on a tiny islet in the river that runs along Greece’s land border with Turkey.
Police said the migrants were discovered Wednesday night after Greek authorities were tipped off to their presence, but that the group originally declined to accompany rescue teams into boats to take them to the Greek side of the Evros River.
A second try during daylight Thursday was successful. Police said they safely evacuated all 46 men, eight women and 10 children, who said they were Syrian nationals seeking asylum in the European Union.
They said they had been left stranded on the island, near the northeastern Greek town of Didymoteicho, by smugglers who took them there by boat from the Turkish side.
