ByREUTERS

Six migrants died and four people were injured after their car crashed during a police pursuit near the Black Sea city of Burgas, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported on Friday.

The Romanian-registered Skoda was carrying 10 people when it failed to stop for a check and sought to evade capture on Thursday night, Border Police Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov told broadcaster bTV, as reported by the state news agency.

The six died at the scene while the Romanian driver and three surviving migrants received first aid. The survivors were thought to be from Afghanistan, BTA said.

Balkan countries major transit routes for refugees

Since 2015, Balkan countries have become major transit routes for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Asia, and Africa fleeing wars and poverty to the European Union. Many use smuggling networks to help them.

Afghan nationals with their belongings gather as they head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan intensified its deportation campaign, forcing undocumented Afghans to leave the country, at the Torkham border crossing, Pakistan April 7, 2025.
Afghan nationals with their belongings gather as they head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan intensified its deportation campaign, forcing undocumented Afghans to leave the country, at the Torkham border crossing, Pakistan April 7, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari)

Romanian authorities did not immediately confirm the media reports of the fatal crash.