Migrants clash with police and cut through a fence at a Greek detention center

Migrants in northern Greece engaged in violent clashes with police at a detention center, subsequently breaching the perimeter fence and escaping. Thirty-five migrants were initially free before authorities managed to recapture roughly half of them, officials reported on Sunday. The incident unfolded at a temporary accommodation center for asylum seekers in Sintiki, situated close to the Bulgarian border, after the migrants hurled rocks at the guards.

The facility accommodates approximately 450 individuals whose asylum applications are being processed, a process that often takes considerable time. Police reinforcements arrived late on Saturday to address the situation. Special forces utilized flash grenades during the confrontations, which persisted into the early hours of Sunday.

Police apprehended 17 of the escaped migrants, while additional searches are underway for roughly 18 others. A total of five individuals sustained injuries and required hospitalization.