Turkey’s tent city: Migrant camp emerges on border with Greece

These are the desperate scenes from a sprawling migrant camp taking root on the Turkish-Greek border yesterday.

Athens said the number of attempted illegal crossings had surged to 35,000 in a week as Turkey was accused of using the migrants as pawns.

As tents were pitched at Pazarkule on the Turkish side of the border, there were fears the camp might turn into a Calais Jungle-style settlement.

A migrant family stands in front of their tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey. Thousands of refugees and migrants have flocked to the Greece, Turkey border after Turkey announced that it would open border gates for a period of 72 hours to allow refugees to cross into European countries after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian air raid in Idlib

Aerial photo taken from a helicopter shows migrants lining up for food at the Turkey-Greece border near Pazarkule, Edirne, Turkey yesterday

Aerial photo taken from a helicopter shows migrants lining up for food at the Turkey-Greece border near Pazarkule, Edirne, Turkey yesterday  

Mariam, seven, and her brother Ahmad, four, from Syria sleep in an old market as they wait to cross into Greece and the European Union yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

Mariam, seven, and her brother Ahmad, four, from Syria sleep in an old market as they wait to cross into Greece and the European Union yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

Greek officials believe the Turkish authorities have bussed thousands of migrants to the shared border while encouraging them to storm it.

The EU has sent 100 border guards to bolster the 530-strong force already in place.

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened his country’s borders at the weekend, sparking the new migrant crisis. 

Refugees and migrants walk as they carry some food and water at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

Refugees and migrants walk as they carry some food and water at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A family sits beneath a makeshift tent near the Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A family sits beneath a makeshift tent near the Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey  

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey today

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey today

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey yesterday

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey yesterday 

A woman works outside her tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A woman works outside her tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

The EU is urging Mr Erdogan to stick to a treaty signed in 2016, under which Ankara, inundated by four million refugees and migrants, received billions in aid money in return for stemming the flow of people to Europe.

Clashes have escalated amid reports of Greek border police using live ammunition, blank rounds, tear gas and stun grenades to deter migrants. 

Greece said that migrants were being ‘manipulated as pawns’ by Turkey in a bid to exert diplomatic pressure.

The situation threatened to escalate further last night as Ankara said it would deploy special forces along the border to stop Greek guards pushing back people trying to cross.

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey yesterday

Migrants light a fire on the bank of the Tunca river as they try to enter Europe at the Turkey-Greece border, near the Pazarkule crossing gate in Edirne, Turkey yesterday 

Refugees and migrants sit and chat in front of their plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

Refugees and migrants sit and chat in front of their plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A woman looks at her child in front of her plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A woman looks at her child in front of her plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesterday in Edirne, Turkey

A woman stands in front of her plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesteday in Edirne, Turkey

A woman stands in front of her plastic tent at a makeshift camp inside Pazarkule border gate yesteday in Edirne, Turkey

It came as Mr Erdogan and Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday agreed a ceasefire between their two sides’ forces in Idlib, northern Syria, which could help de-escalate the migration crisis.

Mr Erdogan has been seeking support from European allies in a bid to hold on to Idlib, the last opposition-controlled region in Syria, but his calls have so far fallen on deaf ears.

It prompted him to throw open his borders to put pressure on European leaders.