ATHENS (Sputnik) – Migrants have been blocking the railroad in Idomeni for days, demanding to be allowed to cross the northern border into Macedonia to continue further on to Central Europe.
"The work of the railway has been fully restored with the completion of the operation," Hellenic Police said in a late Wednesday message. It added there was no unrest or "use of special measures" by 350 officers involved in the process.
The migrants have been transferred in 45 buses to two repurposed centers in Athens, including a former airport and a sports palace. Most of them hailed from Pakistan, Somalia, Morocco, Algeria and Bangladesh.
As of November 18, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia began allowing only Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian nationals passage through their borders. Other nationals have been declared economic migrants and denied entry, leaving them stranded in Greece.
Hellenic Police said reporters have been prevented access to the site of the operation "to ensure their security from possible provocations and clashes." Some journalists have been temporarily detained. A media center was later established coordinated by the head of the regional police press service.
