SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia say a patrol discovered 18 migrants in the south of the country and arrested the driver after a brief chase.

A police statement released Monday said the 18 migrants, 14 Syrians and 4 Pakistanis were discovered late Sunday as they disembarked from a car with Bulgarian license plates not far from the border with Greece. The driver, a 27-year-old North Macedonian identified only by his initials, D.A., attempted to flee but was arrested after a short chase.

The migrants were transferred to a shelter in the border town of Gevgelija, pending deportation to Greece.

Police say the Balkan route for migrants, from Greece through North Macedonia and Serbia to European Union countries, has become active again in the past few weeks after many Balkan countries lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions.

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