The body of a young Syrian man has been found in a forest close to the border between Poland and Belarus, Polish police said on Saturday.
The death brings to 11 the number of migrants found dead on both sides since the crisis began in the summer, according to aid groups.
“The body of a young Syrian man was discovered yesterday in the forest near WolkaTerechowska,” police for the Podlasie region said in a statement.
“The cause of the death could not be determined at the scene,” it said. Police also said that a group of around 100 migrants had attempted to cross the border during the night in the same area.
“After seeing police and soldiers, the people on the Belarusian side fled into the forest,” it said.
The Polish border guards also accused Belarusian forces of destroying some barbed wire fencing laid down by Polish forces overnight, releasing a video that purported to show Belarusian forces using lasers and strobe lighting while doing so.
“During the night, Belarusian soldiers attempted to take down the temporary barrier. They took down fence posts and tore up the barbed wire with a service vehicle. Polish forces were blinded by lasers and strobe lighting,” the border guard said. It also said that Belarusian forces had supplied the migrants with tear gas which was then used against Polish forces. Thousands of migrants — most of them from the Middle East — have crossed or attempted to cross the EU and NATO border since the summer.
The crisis escalated this week when larger groups of hundreds of migrants began arriving at the border and attempting to get through. Polish border guards estimate there are currently up to 4,000 migrants camped out along the border.
