Body of a man, suspected to be a migrant from India, was found in Ignalina District on Thursday, the prosecutor’s office confirmed to BNS.
“A pre-trial investigation is being carried out to determine the cause of death,” prosecutor’s spokeswoman Rasa Stundžienė told BNS.
Ignalina District is in north-eastern Lithuania, on the border with Belarus. In recent years, Belarus has become one of the routes of irregular migration to the EU.
According to the Utena District police, the body of the 40-year-old man was found at around 13:53 in Padysnis II, a hamlet close to the border with Belarus.
No external signs of violence were spotted on the body, they said.
The man was travelling with a backpack with his belongings.
According to the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), officers of the Tverečius border checkpoint received a report that a human body was spotted on the bank of the Dysna River.
A team of rescuers sent to the scene pulled the lifeless body ashore. The body showed no external signs of violence.
The Dysna is a narrow river with marshy banks. It flows along the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.
A wave of irregular migration from Belarus hit Lithuania in 2021. Vilnius has accused Minsk of “hybrid attack” and actively encouraging migration in order to pressure the EU.
The Interior Ministry has instructed border guards to stop migrants from crossing into the country, with rights groups saying the policy represents pushbacks, illegal under international law.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
