Turkish authorities have recovered 12 bodies believed to belong to migrants who froze to death after being returned to the country near the Turkish-Greek border, the interior minister said.
The 12 victims were part of a group of 22 people who were expelled back to Turkey by Greek border guards, Suleyman Soylu explained on Twitter. They were found near the Ipsala border crossing “without shoes and stripped of their clothes,” he added.
The minister did not provide further details but accused the Greek border authorities of being “cruel” and the European Union of being soft on Greece.
Ankara often accuses its neighbor of illegally returning migrants who want to reach Europe, a charge Athens denies.
Turkey is one of the main crossing points for migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa seeking a better life in the European Union.
Most try to enter Greece either across the northwestern land border or on overcrowded smugglers’ boats sailing to the eastern Aegean islands.