Poland detains 130 migrants after discovering tunnel from Belarus

Polish border guards said they discovered a tunnel used to smuggle migrants underground from Belarus into Poland.

More than 130 migrants were taken into custody following the discovery of the clandestine passage, the Border Guard said in a statement on Friday, adding that a search was continuing for additional individuals.

Two suspected human smugglers were arrested — a 69-year-old Polish man and a 49-year-old Lithuanian national, the statement said.

Most of the detained migrants were citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, though people from other countries were also among those apprehended, including India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The tunnel, which was several dozen metres long and about 1.5 metres high, had a concealed entrance on the Belarusian side in a wooded area, with the exit on the Polish side located 10 metres from the border barrier.

Border guards said the tunnel was discovered using electronic detection equipment.

Investigators determined that the tunnel had already been used by at least 180 people to enter Poland, and by extension the European Union.

According to the Border Guard, three other tunnels beneath the Poland–Belarus border have been discovered so far this year.

Poland has repeatedly accused Belarus of orchestrating the movement of migrants from crisis-hit regions to the European Union’s external border.