EU external border: Lithuania discovers migrant tunnel under border fence with Belarus
Secret passage into the EU: A tunnel was supposed to smuggle migrants from Belarus to Lithuania. However, border guards discovered the underground passage. This is not the first incident recently.
Vilnius, Lithuania - The Lithuanian Border Guard has discovered another tunnel under the border fence leading to Belarus, used to smuggle migrants into the EU. The unfinished secret passage, without an exit, was dug under the border fence at a depth of approximately 1.5 meters and reinforced with tree trunks and planks, the authority in Vilnius announced.
Lithuania has repeatedly accused Belarus of knowingly bringing migrants from crisis regions to the EU's external border. In response, the Vilnius government has increased protection of the border and built a fence. The hidden tunnel, with a concealed entrance, extended about four meters from Belarus into Lithuania, according to reports.
Border guards detected the tunnel using electronic devices. Earlier, two other tunnels were discovered under the border between Belarus and Lithuania in recent weeks. In one case, Lithuanian border guards were reportedly attacked by a group of migrants who resisted their arrest, forcing the officials to retreat while the illegal border crossers fled back to Belarus.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas ordered an internal investigation after a spokesperson for the border guard confirmed the previously undisclosed incident. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius also criticized the belated announcement of the attack on the border guards.
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