Bulgarian Authorities Detain 50 Syrian Refugees Near Vratsa

After a joint operation of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the Interior Ministry, Bulgarian authorities detained overnight fifty Syrian refugees on the E79 international road at the exit of Vratsa in the direction of Montana.

The refugees were traveling in two groups – one of them in a passenger minibus, the other one in a cargo van, private NOVA TV informs.

Since only part of the refugees had identity documents, their exact number, identity and nationality is still being established by authorities.

These are the first refugees to be detained in the province of Vratsa.

The cargo van carried only men, while the passenger minibus also had women and children on board.

The refugees refused to talk and answered only to policemen.

The first actions of the police were to provide the refugees with potable water, food and medical examination.

However the refugees claimed that they do not speak English so the medical crew could not establish their health conditions.

Some of the policemen provided shoes and clothes to the barefoot children.

Since there is no accommodation for refugees in the region, they will be transported to some of the reception centres in the country, but their point of relocation remains unclear.

It is also unclear where the refugees came from and where they were headed for.