Hunters in Latgale come across eight migrants in forest during drive hunt
On the opening day of the drive-hunting season in Latvia's Krāslava municipality, hunters found eight irregular migrants who had crossed from Belarus. The hunt was halted and the group was handed to border guards.
Hunters in Latgale, the eastern region of Latvia, unexpectedly encountered eight irregular migrants in a forest in Krāslava municipality on Saturday, the opening day of the drive-hunting season. The migrants had entered Latvia from Belarus, according to the broadcaster "TV3 Ziņas". The situation was potentially dangerous, as the people were hiding in bushes in an area where a hunt with firearms was under way.
How the encounter unfolded
Video of the detained migrants has been widely shared on social media; it was filmed by members of the Krāslava municipality hunters' society "Konstantinova". The society's head, Ivars Kekers, said the beaters, who drive game toward the hunters, reported over radio that a group of people who looked like migrants was sitting in the bushes. The hunters at first did not believe it, but went to check, and the hunt was stopped immediately.
Kekers suggested the migrants may have been in shock and, seeing people with hunting weapons, may not have understood whether the hunt was aimed at them.
Risk and response
The hunters say the incident could have ended tragically: the people were hidden in the part of the forest toward which shots had been fired. "It can even be lethal. This is still hunting," Kekers said.
Border guards were notified at once. The migrants offered no resistance: they followed the hunters' instructions, walked to the nearest road and sat down to wait for the border guards. According to the hunters, the people were shivering and hungry, so they were given lunch and water. When the border guards arrived, the hunters left the site, and the border guard took over.
