EVROS – With Greece refuting constant reports of pushing back refugees and migrants, Greek officials said human smugglers from Turkey fired at border guards near the Evros River while trying to ferry people across, leaving a woman dead.

It wasn’t clear what happened but Kathimerini said Greek border guards reported firing their weapons only in the air as a warning after being fired upon by the smugglers, hoping to drive them away.

Following the incident, Greek authorities located four migrants on the Greek side of the river and the body of the woman, with Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporting she appeared to have been on the boat.

“A group of 10 people were found trying to cross into Greek territory by boat from the area of Soufli,” a police spokesman in the region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace told AFP.

“The Greek police signalled for them to stop but they did not obey. Shots were heard from the Turkish side. Greek border guards fired into the air to protect themselves,” the spokesman said.

“Greek border guards found four migrant men swimming ashore and a woman floating in the water who appeared to have been shot in the back around chest level,” adding an investigation had begun.

The website of the Greek newspaper Proto Thema said the woman’s wound indicates the gun that shot her was not one normally used by either Greek nor Turkish border police, no explanation how it was suffered.