Hundreds of migrants in Turkey started arriving on the borders with Greece andBulgaria on Friday after a senior Turkish official said Ankara would no longer abide by a 2016 EU deal and stop refugees from reaching Europe.
Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union member states, said they were beefing up frontier controls to prevent the migrants crossing illegally. Bulgaria said it was sending 1,000 extra troops to its border with Turkey.
Reuters TV footage showed migrants walking near the Greek border, some carrying plastic bags and small children, while Greek police and border vehicles patrolled on the other side of the fence. Similar scenes unfolded at the Bulgarian border.
On the Aegean coast, Turkish broadcasters showed two dozen people, including women and children, aboard a rubber dinghy boat. They were reportedly bound for the Greek island of Lesbos.
"We heard about (Turkey's decision) on the television," said Afghan migrant Sahin Nebizade, 16, one of a group of migrants packed into one of three taxis that were parked on a highway on the outskirts of Istanbul.
"We've been living in Istanbul. We want to go to Edirne and then on to Greece," he said before the taxis headed for the northwestern province of Edirne.
Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Moroccans were among the migrants heading towards the border crossings with Greece and Bulgaria, about 200 km (125 miles) west of Istanbul, Turkey's pro-government Demiroren news agency said.
Hamid Muhammed, holding a young girl at the Greek border, told Reuters that Greek police were not letting him enter.
"There are many problems here (in Turkey). We want the Turkish and European governments to open this gate," he said.
