Six migrants killed in crash during police pursuit in Bulgaria, media says

The car carrying 10 people has “attempted to evade police” before crashing

Photo: Reuters

Six migrants died and four people were injured after their car crashed during a police pursuit near the Black Sea city of Burgas, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported on Friday.

The Romanian-registered Skoda was carrying 10 people when it failed to stop for a check and sought to evade capture on Thursday night, Border Police Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov told broadcaster bTV, as reported by the state news agency.

The six died at the scene while the Romanian driver and three surviving migrants received first aid. The survivors were thought to be from Afghanistan, BTA said.

Since 2015, Balkan countries have become major transit routes for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Asia and Africa fleeing wars and poverty to the European Union. Many use smuggling networks to help them.

Romanian authorities did not immediately confirm the media reports of the fatal crash.