Latvia discovers first migrant tunnel beneath Belarus border PHOTO

Latvian border guards have discovered a tunnel dug by migrants near the country’s border with Belarus for the first time, authorities said.

According to LSM, fifteen people were detained overnight while attempting to cross the border illegally in the area overseen by the Silene border guard unit in Skrundalienas parish. They have been handed over for further deportation.

The tunnel entrance was found about 10 metres from the border fence. According to Latvian authorities, border guards had already received intelligence about the underground passage.

“This is so far the first tunnel of this kind in Latvia,” said Border Guard official Andrejs Dombrava, adding that cooperation between the State Border Guard, National Armed Forces and State Police helped detect the group.

Latvian officials are now considering additional measures, including the possibility of scanning the ground along the country’s external land border to establish whether other tunnels exist.

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs called for round-the-clock drone surveillance of the border, saying Latvia wanted to send a clear message that “there will be no gaps” in its defences.

The discovery comes amid similar incidents elsewhere in the Baltics. Lithuanian border guards recently found a third underground tunnel along the Belarus border that may have been intended for illegal migration. Over the past year, Lithuania has recorded 12 attempts to enter the country through underground passages.

By Aghakazim Guliyev