Greek forces use tear gas to stop migrants crossing Turkey border

Greek riot police and troops used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday against hundreds of migrants as they made another attempt to cross the border from Turkey into Greece.

Plumes of black smoke drifted above the Kastanies border crossing, and a fire engine raced by to put out smoldering blazes. Greek soldiers also fired warning shots into the air.

A Reuters witness saw teargas cannisters being thrown from the Turkish side of the border toward Greek police over a high razor wire. It was not clear who was hurling the cannisters.

Video footage showed some migrants carrying an injured man away from the border. It was unclear how he had been hurt.

A Greek army vehicle equipped with loudspeakers informed the migrants in Arabic and other languages that the border is shut.

More than 10,000 migrants have been trying to breach the border since Turkey said last Thursday it would no longer abide by a 2016 deal with the European Union to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for billions of euros in aid.

Greece and the EU accuse Turkey of goading on the migrants in an effort to “blackmail” Brussels into offering more money or supporting Ankara’s geopolitical aims in the Syrian conflict.