Latvian man found dead, Afghan man injured as car runs off road in Lithuania

VILNIUS - A Latvian man was found dead and an Afghan man injured after a car was discovered off the road in Rokiskis District, northeastern Lithuania, Panevezys County police said on Thursday.

The incident is believed to be linked to migrant smuggling from Latvia and a pre-trial investigation has been launched, Lithuanian State Border Guard adviser Giedrius Misutis confirmed to ELTA news agency.

Police called border guards to the scene, who checked the area with service dogs, but no suspicious persons were found.

According to preliminary information, a Volvo V40 was found in a ditch at the 2.39-kilometer mark of the Juodupe-Aleknos-Aknyste road at around 7:44 p.m. on Wednesday.

A man believed to be an Afghan national was found injured nearby, but his identity has not yet been confirmed. He was taken to Panevezys Hospital.

The body of a Latvian man born in 1997 was found about 35 meters away, in the direction of Juodupe.

A pre-trial investigation has been launched into a possible violation of road traffic safety or vehicle operation rules.

In the first ten months of this year, the Lithuanian State Border Guard has apprehended more than 1,000 illegal migrants arriving in Lithuania from Latvia. The number has doubled compared to last year.

Illegal migrants arrive in Latvia from Belarus. In total, more than 11,200 people have been prevented from crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally this year, while Lithuanian border guards have prevented 1,546 attempts to enter the country illegally from Belarus.

Lithuanian officials claim that the Belarusian regime is deliberately facilitating the flow of migrants across the border because Lithuania supports the democratic opposition in Belarus.