Thousands left stranded in Greece as EU tries to seal deal with Turkey

Thousands of refugees stranded on the Greek border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are waking up to the realization that their onward route through the Balkans to wealthy European Union countries is effectively closed.

About 13,000-14,000 people are stranded near the village of Idomeni, where many have been waiting for two weeks or more to be among the small numbers that have been allowed through each day. The mood Tuesday morning was visibly grim among those at the front of the queue waiting to cross.

EU leaders said Monday said they had reached the outlines of a possible deal with Ankara to return thousands of migrants to Turkey, and also said that “irregular flows of migrants along the Western Balkans route have now come to an end.”