Thousands of desperate migrants breach police lines on Macedonia border

Thousands of migrants and refugees have broken through police lines on Macedonia’s southern border. A Reuters reporter said officers threw two stun grenades at the crowd, but were unable to contain them. Several thousand people - many fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan - ran past barbed wire fences and into fields in the Balkan country. The chaos started when police allowed a small group of migrants with young children to cross the border from Greece.

People are exhausted. It has rained all night and they had no shelter.

Alexandra Krause, a senior protection officer with the UNHCR

The desperate scenes along Macedonia’s southern border have continued, as migrants and refugees are stopped from heading north towards western Europe. Police and soldiers along the country’s border with Greece have been struggling to control the crowds of refugees and migrants, many fleeing war-ravaged countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. On Thursday, Macedonian authorities declared a state of emergency at Gevgelija, with police sealing the border and firing tear gas and stun grenades at the crowds. On Saturday conditions deteriorated, with people having to spend a cold night outside, under heavy rain and with little or no access to food and water.

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