Photo credit: Indian Express
Thirty-five migrants escaped following clashes Saturday night at a detention centre in Sintiki, near the city of Serres in northern Greece, Greek authorities have said.
Bulgarian News Agency reports that police have arrested 17 of the escapees, while the search for the remaining 18 is ongoing.
About 450 people whose asylum applications are being processed are held at the migrant centre near Serres, AP noted. The process can take a long time, the agency added.
A local newspaper reported earlier that a riot broke out at the migrant detention centre shortly after 9 pm on Saturday. The newspaper reported that 10 people have been arrested and three injured.
The clashes began when a group of migrants knocked down an internal fence and attacked police officers with stones and other objects. Damage was caused to the building, common areas, security cameras, firefighting equipment and official vehicles. An entire wing of the migrant centre was destroyed, and its occupants were moved to another part of the facility, the paper reported.
Police reinforcements, including riot-control units from Thessaloniki, were sent to the scene to bring the situation under control. An ambulance and a fire engine also arrived. The unrest continued for more than three hours.
Early on Sunday, authorities began counting the migrants to determine whether anyone had escaped. The area was cordoned off by police, the newspaper reported.
