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Migrant shot dead trying to enter Bulgaria – ministry

Tens of thousands of people fleeing war and grinding poverty have been trying to reach Europe by land and sea.

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The shooting is the most serious migrant-related incident in Bulgaria since the start of Europe’s refugee crisis.

Meanwhile a migrant thought to be Afghan was shot dead by a Bulgarian border guard after entering the country from Turkey late on Thursday.

They “did not obey” a police order to stop, he said.

Kostov further added “They put up resistance during the arrest”.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, according to Kostov. “One of the officers fired warning shots and, in his words, one of the migrants was wounded by a ricochet and later died”.

The spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR, Boris Cheshirkov, condemned the use of power against migrants and appealed to Bulgaria to investigate transparently and thoroughly the incident. “The action plan is a major step in this direction”, European Council President Donald Tusk said after a summit of all 28 EU leaders in Brussels.

Juncker said there would be a clear link between granting Turkey easier visa access, as would be expected for a country seeking European Union membership, and its commitment to helping manage the migrant crisis. “Mr. Borisov is absolutely aware that we are ready to help”.

“A big group of illegal migrants attempted to enter Bulgaria from Turkey”.

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In a move to buttress its porous 260-kilometre (160-mile) border with Turkey, Bulgaria built a 30-kilometre razor wire fence along part of it and dispatched a few 2,000 border guards, police and army to guard the rest.

A migrant child smiles as she follows her mother down the path that leads to the Serbian Croatian border crossing at the village of Berkasovo near Sid Serbia on Thursday Oct.15 2015. The migrants and refugees are struggling with the autumn rain and