Migrants gathering in northern Greece for Balkan crossing

Hundreds of migrants are gathering outside a camp near the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, planning a long trek through heavily guarded Balkan borders to seek asylum in Europe's prosperous heartland.

Police said more than 500 people, including families with small children, gathered on Thursday in a cornfield outside the Diavata migrant camp, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Thessaloniki, some setting up tents. Dozens more were approaching on foot.

Migrants said they were responding to an anonymous call on social media to go to Greece's border with North Macedonia 60 kilometers (38 miles) away and push through, reviving a migration route that was firmly shut down in 2016.

The United Nations refugee agency has warned migrants against the social media calls, saying irregular border crossings are “risky and dangerous.” [AP]