Greece commits to take ‘all steps’ to retrieve refugee girl’s body from Turkish border

·

Greece will try to retrieve the body of a five-year-old girl who died on a river islet on the Greece-Turkey border where she had been among a group of 38 refugees stranded there for several days, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said on Tuesday.

The refugees said the little girl had died of a scorpion sting whilst they were stranded on the islet on the Evros river.

Minister Mitarachi said in a tweet the girl’s body was on Turkish territory before committing to be part of the retreival process.

“In collaboration with the International Red Cross & Red Crescent all steps will be taken to ensure the body is properly buried with dignity by its family,” he said.

Speaking from northeastern Greece on Tuesday, Mitarachi said the group told Greek authorities they had been taken to the river by Turkish authorities, who had forced them to attempt the crossing to Greece.

Greek police announced on Monday that they had found the 22 men, 9 women and 7 children on the Greek-Turkish border, saying: “Greek police forces and other government services have rushed to their aid, to provide healthcare, food and water and to transfer them to an area of temporary accommodation.”

The Evros land border is a frequent crossing point for those wishing to claim asylum in Europe, but many reports have documented violent Greek pushbacks in recent months, as well as incidents where people have been made to cross by Turkish authorities.

According to Greek police statistics released on Tuesday, of the 7,484 total migrants arrested for illegal entry to Greece this year, 3,554 were from the Evros border.

During his visit to the migrant reception center in northeastern Greece, Mitarachi said that the 35 Syrians and three Palestinians were in good health, and that one pregnant woman among them had been taken to hospital for precautionary reasons.

READ MORE: Greece reacts to calls to rescue refugees stranded on Evros islet

greek film festival melbourne

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Celebrate the 113th anniversary of Lesvos’ liberation at Mytilenian House in Sydney

The Mytilenian Brotherhood of Sydney and NSW is set to celebrate the 113th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Island of Lesvos.

Luncheon raises $95,000 for Holy Monastery of St John in Western Australia

The Greek Orthodox Diocese of Perth hosted a fundraising luncheon on Sunday, October 12, at the Archdiocese Conference Room in Dianella.

‘Kapetan Mihalis’ opens 30th Greek Film Festival in Melbourne

The 30th Greek Film Festival, presented by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), officially opened Tuesday, October 14.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Loverdos strengthens bilateral ties in Canberra

Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greeks Abroad, Ioannis Loverdos, has continued his official visit to Australia in Canberra.

Family fun and football as Sydney Olympic FC set for first Australian Championship home game

Sydney Olympic FC are set to host their first home game of the Australian Championship season this Sunday, October 19.

You May Also Like

Nominations are now open for the HACCI Awards 2020

Nominations are now open for the HACCI Awards, which are held every year to recognise excellence within the Greek Australian community.

Court told secret recordings capture George Alex running multimillion-dollar fraud

A jury heard that secret recordings have captured George Alex discussing how to conceal a $13 million tax fraud syndicate from the ATO.

‘Muscle Nation’ co-founder Chris Anastasi reveals secret to $27 million success

Chris Anastasi and Nathaniel Anthony said Muscle Nation made nearly $10 million across two days in the 2020 Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.