Police detain 10 Bangladeshis in Greek city

Greek police have detained 10 undocumented Bangladeshis who were involved in a road crash on Friday following a high-speed police chase in the city of Thessaloniki.

The Bangladeshis are in hospital with minor injuries.

Syeda Farhana Noor Chowdhury, counsellor of labour welfare wing at the Bangladesh mission in Athens, yesterday said officials of the General Police Directorate of Thessaloniki told them about the Bangladeshis’ detention and the accident.

“We have sought a written report from them to know further details in this regard,” she told this newspaper over phone.

Farhana said the injuries were minimal and that the Bangladeshis were in good physical condition.

A vehicle, carrying migrants who had crossed into Greece from neighbouring Turkey, crashed into another following a high-speed chase across the north of Greece early Friday, AP reported, quoting local police.

The vehicle, with 12 people inside, failed to stop for a check on the main highway near the northern town of Kavala just after midnight, police said.

The ensuing police chase ended in the city of Thessaloniki, when the vehicle ran a series of red lights and crashed into a passing car.

Ten men from Bangladesh and two men from Syria were transported to hospital, as was the driver of the car.

The Syrians were treated and released from hospital and were arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling.

Thousands of people continue to enter Greece from Turkey, either from the coast to nearby Greek islands or through the land border in far northeastern Greece, despite European efforts to stop migrant flows, according to AP.

Most hope to make their way to more prosperous northern European countries, it said.