One dead, three injured as minibus carrying migrants crashes in Greece
BY|infomigrants
A migrant has died in an accident involving a fully loaded minibus in northeastern Greece. Another three migrants were seriously injured, Greek state radio reported. Smugglers in the region are known to repeatedly try to bring migrants from the Greek-Turkish border into western Greece, frequently leading to fatal accidents.
The accident in northeastern Greece occurred when a minibus overturned, Greek public broadcaster ERT1 reported , citing local police. However, it wasn’t immediately clear why the accident had occurred.
The driver, who is suspected of people smuggling, has reportedly disappeared. Twelve of the migrants in the bus were unharmed. The vehicle was on its way from the Turkish-Greek border region to western Greece, police sources said, which is a common route used by people smugglers.
Steep price for a dangerous ride
Once again, more and more migrants are trying to reach Central and Western Europe or Italy using dangerous routes like this with the help of smugglers. Those traveling through Greece usually try to bypass the country so they can lodge their first asylum claim elsewhere.
Smugglers repeatedly try to bring migrants from the region of the Greek-Turkish border river Evros to western Greece in minibusses and cars or hiding them in trucks. In the process, fatal accidents occur time and again.
According to news agency dpa citing migrants’ testimonies, the smuggling gangs involved collect up to €7,000 for arranging such journeys.
It is unclear how many migrants manage to reach Central and Western Europe via this particular route. The UN refugee agency UNHCR says it registered close to 5,800 people who came by land from Turkey to Greece.
Lucrative and dangerous business
Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable and highly organized business. Some smuggling networks, like the one Europol busted last June, transport thousands of migrants to Europe.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), migrant smuggling is the “facilitation, for financial or other material gain, of irregular entry into a country where the migrant is not a national or resident.”
The main difference between migrant smuggling and human trafficking, according to UNODC, is “financial or material benefit” vs. the actual exploitation of the victim and their person.
