The private television channel bTV reported about two refugee women who have died, in the near of Malko Tarnovo at Strandzha mountain massif on Saturday. Since days the region, where the group was found, saw freezing temperatures. Apparently, the women were part of a bigger group, at least 19 refugees, including 11 children from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was reported, that on Saturday the group was found by the border police. Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova told the communication media:
Two women have died — one younger and another middle-aged. Our border guards made every effort to help them, carrying them in their arms to try to warm them up, but it happened because of the cold.
The Border police reported that the two women have died during the police operation, that started at 5:40 pm. Still it is not sure how old the dead victims are. A press release of the Ministry of Interior stated that one of the victims was a teenager — aged between 14 and 16 — and the other was between 30 and 40 years old. The children, aged between 4 and 16, were taken to hospital with frostbites. All in all, 15 people from the group were hospitalized, due to hypothermia.
This is the second report this year about people on the run dying in Bulgaria’s borderland. Already two dead bodies were found on the border with Serbia by the end of January 2016. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s government is constructing the extension of the fence at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. The permanent emerging cases of death would have been prevented with a safe passage to and through Bulgaria.
Update: Two brothers (Najad Kader Sedeeq and Rebwar Kader Sedeeq) who were belonging to the group were later found dead on the Turkish territory. The names of the frozen women on the Bulgarian side are Salwa Ibrahim Abdullah (30 years), and Niga Kamaran Ahmed (14-years). Trifa Kader Sedeeq who survived, accused the Bulgarian police of beating and robbing before she and the whole group were brought to Malko Tarnovo and told to go back to Turkey.