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Bulgaria detains 111 illegal immigrants on banks of Maritsa River

Xinhua, January 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bulgarian police on Wednesday morning detained a group of 111 illegal immigrants along the country's 15-km Maritsa River border with Greece, officials said.

The foreigners, including 24 men, 26 women and 61 children, did not have any identity documents, but presented themselves as Syrian nationals, the interior ministry said in a statement.

"In all likelihood, the 111 foreigners have been transported by boats from Greek territory throughout the night," the ministry said.

Since 2013, Bulgaria has been facing strong immigration pressure, mainly at the land border with Turkey.

According to data from the State Agency for Refugees, the number of foreigners who sought asylum in Bulgaria in 2013 was 7,144 and in 2014, 11,081. In the first 11 months of 2015, the number was 18,696. Endit