1 migrant dead, 6 injured in car chase and crash in Greece

THESSALONIKI, Greece — A car carrying seven Pakistani migrants believed to have just crossed the land border from Turkey crashed in northern Greece, killing one man and injuring the other six passengers, police said Friday.

Police said the car failed to stop at a police checkpoint on a highway in northeastern Greece late Thursday night. The migrants, all from Pakistan, are believed to have entered Greece clandestinely and been heading to the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Officers chased the car, whose driver lost control and crashed, overturning the vehicle on the highway, authorities said. The driver, a 20-year-old Syrian who did not have a driver’s license, was treated for minor injuries and arrested as a migrant trafficker.

Police said the car had been reported stolen earlier this month in Thessaloniki.

Thousands of migrants attempt to enter Greece each year, most hoping to travel on toward more prosperous European countries. Although the majority head by boat to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, many also cross the land border with Turkey.