Refugees Flock to Istanbul Bus Station in Hopes of Reaching Greece by Land

Hundreds of refugees and migrants attempted to walk from Istanbul to the Turkey-Greece border on Tuesday, September 15, hoping to reach Greece by land, according to reports. After being blocked from boarding buses at Istanbul’s main station on Monday, asylum seekers headed for Edirne, a northwestern Turkish province bordering Greece and Bulgaria, by foot. The exodus was triggered by rumors that Greece would accept immigrants, CIHAN reported.

Hundreds of Syrians walked from Istanbul along a motorway to the Turkey-Greece border, where they were stopped by Turkish gendarmerie and police, according to reports. Refugees protested at Edirne bus station, demanding to be allowed transport to Greece and threatening to continue their march through the border.

This video shows refugees flocking to Grand Istanbul Bus Station on Monday. Credit: YouTube/Ömer Lütfü Gözsüz