Skopje (North Macedonia), Oct 13 (AP) Police in North Macedonia said on Thursday that 26 migrants, who had been crammed into two cars driven by suspected smugglers, have been detained near the southern border with Greece.

A police statement said the cars were near the town of Valandovo late on Wednesday when the drivers spotted a police roadblock ahead of them, stopped the vehicles and ran off with their passengers.

Also Read | Rape in Pakistan: A Woman Is Sexually Assaulted Every Two Hours, Says Report.

After a brief chase, officers detained the 26 Syrian nationals, as well as the two drivers — a Serb and a man from North Macedonia.

If tried and convicted of migrant-smuggling, the two suspects face up to five years' imprisonment.

Also Read | India Hits Out at Pakistan After It Rakes Up Kashmir Issue During UNGA Vote on Ukraine.

The migrants are believed to have entered illegally from Greece and were headed north through North Macedonia and Serbia to wealthier European countries.

They will be deported to Greece.

Police say the Balkan route for migrants, that leads through North Macedonia, has become more active again this year after the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)