Two Somalis found frozen to death in Turkish-Greek border

GOOBJOOG NEWS/ANKARA: Two young Somali men are among the 19 migrants frozen to death in Turkey after they were allegedly pushed back by Greece as they attempted to cross the border.

The dead, identified as Abubakar and Yahye, both Turkish nationals and members of the Somali community in Turkey, met their death together with 22 others as they tried to cross into Greece, a key gateway to the European Union.

Turkish authorities on Monday found seven more dead bodies adding to 19 the bodies found so far in a small Turkish town near the border with Greece. 

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has accused Greek border guards of stripping migrants of their clothes and shoes before returning them to Turkey’s border.

The recent incident has led Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to vow to expose Greece for illegal pushback of migrants and to bring up the issue during every meeting he holds with world leaders.

Greece has however, denied the allegations, but mounting evidence has shown that the Greek government has in recent months secretly expelled thousands of migrants trying to reach its shores.