4 bodies found on railway tracks in Greece, likely migrants

Greek police recovered on Tuesday four dead bodies on railway tracks at the outskirts of Komotini city in northern Greece, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

The four young victims were most likely migrants and refugees, according to police sources.

An investigation into the circumstances of the incident was underway. According to initial information the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in the dark.

Komotini is located about 70 kilometers west of Greece's land border with Turkey.

In recent months, thousands of refugees and migrants have been smuggled into Greece from the neighboring country seeking to continue their journey to other European countries despite the closure of borders along the western Balkan route to central Europe since 2016.

Over one million refugees and migrants reached Greece since early 2015, risking their lives to cross the Aegean Sea, according to official statistics.

Following the March 2016 EU-Turkey agreement aimed to stem the influx, the numbers have been reduced dramatically, but still dozens of desperate people each day land on the northern Aegean sea islands or cross into Greece via Evros river on the land border.

More than 12,000 people have entered Greece via Evros so far in 2018, according to the Greek migration policy ministry data, while nearly 60,000 refugees and migrants have been stranded in Greece in the past two years.