Lithuanian border guards have found another unfinished tunnel believed to have been intended for migrants to enter the country from Belarus, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said, LRT reports.
Officers from the Kapciamiestis border station of the Varena border district used vibration sensors to detect suspected digging activity near the village of Pertakas in the Lazdijai district.
At the site, the border between Belarus and Lithuania is marked by a stream. The border fence is therefore located further inside Lithuanian territory.
After spotting the approaching border guards, around 20 foreign nationals fled back into Belarusian territory, VSAT said.
The officers then found an unfinished tunnel about 11 metres long. It was designed to pass under the patrol path further into Lithuanian territory. Logs believed to have been intended for structural support, excavated sand and buckets were found at the site.
The tunnel was then filled in, VSAT said.
This marks a second announcement of a detected tunnel in one week, with the VSAT chief previously saying that migrants are increasingly attempting to dig tunnels to enter the country from Belarus.
Rustamas Liubajevas, the VSAT chief, pinned the blame on the Belarusian border guards, saying such an operation cannot take place without their involvement.
