40 irregular migrants from Latvia detained in Lithuania, three still on the run

VILNIUS - 40 illegal migrants were detained in Lithuania's Utena County after they entered the country from border from Latvia, and three persons are still on the run, the Police Department said.

Utena District Police received a report from border guards at around 9 a.m. that a VW Transporter, an Opel Vivaro and the accompanying Audi A6 needed to be detained because they were possibly carrying irregular migrants from Latvia.

On the same day, the VW Transporter carrying 23 irregular migrants was stopped in the town of Daugailiai in Utena District and ten of them were detained, while 13 others fled the scene. Ten of them were detained at around 3.30 p.m. in the same town.

"As of 6 a.m. on Friday, three of the absconders have not yet been apprehended," Revita Janaviciute of the Police Department told BNS.

The Opel Vivaro carrying 20 irregular migrants was also detained in the village of Vaikutenai, Utena District, and the Audi A6 was detained in Utena.

Two police officers of Utena District were reportedly slightly injured during the detentions.

Border guards say Lithuania is facing the so-called secondary migration where foreigners first cross illegally the Latvian border and then enter Lithuania.