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SOFIA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian border guards on patrol shot dead a man who entered the country illegally near the southeastern town of Sredets late on Thursday, an official said Friday.
Georgi Kostov, Secretary General of Bulgarian Interior Ministry, said that according to initial data, the man was a member of "a large group of people" who resisted the police while the officers were attempting to arrest them.
For this reason, one of the three policemen fired in the air, Kostov said as quoted by the press office of his ministry.
After a ricochet, one of the illegal immigrants was wounded and later died, Kostov said.
In the area of the incident, police detained 54 offenders who, appearing to be between 20 and 30, said they were Afghans, and were in good sport form.
These people have committed a crime under the penal code of the country, Kostov said.
There was no information on the identity of the dead, and those arrested had no identity documents either, the ministry said.
The officers at the border have been exposed to strong migratory pressure, Kostov said, adding that the authorities will assess the risks to national security caused by the penetration of such homogeneous groups. Enditem
