Train kills two immigrants near Greek-Turkish border

THESSALONIKI - Associated Press

Syrian Kurdish refugees try to get warm around a fire at a refugee camp in the town of Suruç, Şanlıurfa province, on November 7, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS

Greek police say two men, believed to have been Syrian refugees who entered the country illegally, have been hit by a train and killed close to Greece’s eastern border with Turkey.

The train driver was arrested hours later and told police he didn’t realize he had struck the men, who had been walking along a foggy stretch of track early Nov. 7.

The bodies were spotted by the driver of another train.

Greece has for years been a major destination for migrants - mostly from troubled parts of the Middle East and Africa - who pay gangs to smuggle them into Europe.

Arrivals have increased this year amid heavy fighting in Syria, while scores of people have perished trying to enter the country illegally in crowded, unseaworthy boats from Turkey.