17 Turkish citizens apply for asylum after crossing Evros river border

A group of 17 Turkish citizens, among them eight men, four women and five children, were reported on Wednesday to have applied for asylum from the Greek authorities in northeastern Greece.

The group was located near the town of Feres, near the Greek-Turkish border.

They were taken to a police station for identification.

Their case became known through a briefing by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Local media reported that the group had emailed police their original location. The police, however, did not find them at the indicated point but at another inaccessible point in Fera.

Local media said the group had crossed the border at the Evros river delta in the Neraidotopos area. However, they became trapped in the area and used various means to alert people to their presence.

After many hours of searching, police from Feres located them.