Germany calls for humanitarian access to Belarus border

The German government has called on Belarus to grant international aid organizations access to refugees on the Polish border, reported dpa.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin on Friday that acting Chancellor Angela Merkel had underlined the need for humanitarian aid in two telephone calls with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko.

"And we expect the Belarusian side to take appropriate action," Seibert said.

Thousands of refugees are staying in the border area in sometimes freezing conditions. The German Interior Ministry has said it has no reliable information on how many migrants have died there due to cold or violence.