site.btaRefugees Detained after Fleeing Transit Centre

Twelve refugees who fled the Transit Centre in the village of Pastrogor have been located and detained, BTA learned from Senior Commissioner Miroslav Hristov, head of the Haskovo Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry.

The refugees are of Moroccan origin. Their escape was reported at around 2:00 a.m. on Friday, Hristov said. Three of them were detained at the scene by police officers.

A search operation was launched for the others, involving efforts to block off possible escape routes. Police scoured the area around the centre for the refugees. "At this point, all of them have been located and detained," Senior Commissioner Hristov said, adding that they were found several kilometres away from Pastrogor.

According to the website of the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers, transit centres are territorial units of the Agency that are responsible for registering and accommodating asylum seekers, conducting medical examinations, determining which country is responsible for examining an application for international protection, and processing applications for international protection.

Hristov said further information on the case would be provided.