Macedonian army detains hundreds of refugees who tried to cross closed border

Hundreds of people stranded in northern Greece for days set out on a determined march across the country in an attempt to cross the sealed Macedonian border on Monday.

The group of refugees and migrants, which included a large number of children, crossed over a river as they made their way from Idomeni to the village of Hamilo and then crossed into Macedonia.

Photos show parents carrying children on their backs and their belongings overhead as they forged through water that reached to their thighs.

Macedonian authorities responded by arresting hundreds of people who crossed the border.

The group set off early in the day and walked for hours in heavy rain. They then found a break in the border fence near the Greek village of Hamilo, and crossed into Macedonia.

In chaotic scenes, Greek and international volunteers helped the migrants across the river, using a rope to help them through the fast-flowing water. Earlier in the day, Macedonian police found the bodies of three people thought to be migrants who had tried to cross a river in a nearby area.

Freelance journalist Marianna Karakoulaki tweeted that several journalists documenting the march were also arrested.  

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Macedonia's border has been sealed for the past 10 days, following transit restrictions imposed by EU-member Austria.

Other Balkan states have also closed their borders or imposed quotes, causing a ripple effect that has left thousands stranded in Greece, the first point of entry for most people making the journey from the Middle East into Europe.

And thousands of new people arrive in Greece everyday, undeterred by the border closers. For those stuck at the border, the conditions are quickly deteriorating. Most are sleeping in makeshift shelters or tents, but freezing rains have left these areas flooded and uninhabitable in recent days.

Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, described the miserable conditions at the Greek border in an interview with AFP.

"People are suffering. Remaining here even one minute is not an option. They cannot be kept here for long in these inhuman conditions,"Baloch said. "They need to be offered a way out of here and they are desperate."

"They need to be offered a way out of here and they are desperate."

According to data from the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, 88% of those making the journey into Europe come from war torn countries and most quality for refugee status, which offers them certain protections under international law.

But the EU has responded to the crisis with a controversial tentative agreement with Turkey aimed at combating the crisis through what's being billed as a "one-to-one" exchange.

Under the newly proposed plan, all migrants and refugees arriving on boats in Greece en route from Turkey would be turned back. In return, one Syrian in Turkey would be formally resettled in an EU country for every Syrian sent away.

Turkey in turn agreed that it would accept migrants who are picked up in the Aegean Sea, in the region that separates the country from the nearby Greek islands, as well as those who have arrived in Greece but have not yet applied for asylum there.

The two sides believe the measures could cut down on human smugglers and will more evenly distribute the burden of new arrivals, taking pressure off countries on the frontline of the crisis.

Human rights organizations have expressed concerns over the policy.

Additional information from the Associated Press.

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