'Europe is nicer': migrants head west after Turkey opens border

Migrants gather near the Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Pazarkule, Turkey February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants in Turkey started arriving on the borders with Greece and Bulgaria on Friday after a senior Turkish official said Ankara would no longer abide by a 2016 EU deal and stop refugees from reaching Europe.

The migrants, some carrying small children and carrier bags, trekked along roads out of Istanbul and through fields, in scenes reminiscent of the 2015 refugee crisis, when more than a million people fleeing wars and poverty sought asylum in Europe.