12 migrants freeze to death near Turkey’s border with Greece

A woman and her baby pass by a baby troller filled with firewoods at a makeshift camp next to the camp of Moria in the island of Lesbos on November 30, 2019 [ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images]

Twelve migrants have been found frozen to death near Turkey’s border with Greece, the Turkish Interior Minister said Wednesday, Associated Press reports.

According to the report, Turkish Interior Minister, Soylu, accused Greek border guards of pushing them back over the frontier.

A migrant died in hospital after being rescued by Turkish authorities, the governor’s office for Edirne province, near the land border with Greece, said.

Last December, Turkey’s western coast guards rescued 20 irregular migrants after they were forced to return to Turkish waters by Greek authorities in the Aegean Sea.

Turkey frequently accuses neighbouring Greece of illegally pushing back migrants wanting to make their way into Europe.

Greece denies accusations that it carries out so-called push-backs that prevent migrants from applying for international protection.

READ: 2021 migrant death toll tops 4,400, surpassing preceding year

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