KASTANIES, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say they will start work next month on a 10-kilometer (6-mile) fence on the country's border with Turkey to deter waves of illegal immigration.
Public Order Minister Christos Papoutsis said Monday the obstacle is expected to be finished by the beginning of September, and will cost more than euro3 million ($4 million).
The double fence, with a four-meter (13-foot) high fill of razor wire, will stretch between the villages of Kastanies and Nea Vyssa in the border Evros region, near the northeastern town of Orestiada.
The debt-cripple country receives thousands of illegal immigrants from Turkey every year. Most of the border is delineated by the Evros River, but the fence will cover a short stretch where the two countries are divided by land and is easier to cross.