Officials say over 180 people passed through the underground passage before authorities intervened, with more than 130 individuals detained so far. Searches for the remaining migrants are ongoing.
The roughly 1.5-metre-high tunnel, running several dozen metres beneath the border barrier and an adjacent service road, had its entrance concealed in the forest on the Belarusian side, around 50 metres from the border, and its exit on the Polish side, about 10 metres from the barrier.
Electronic monitoring systems allowed border guards to quickly establish the number of people who had crossed.
Most of those intercepted were citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while others included nationals from India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
In addition to border guards, soldiers and police officers, assisted by sniffer dogs, were deployed to secure the area and track down the remaining migrants.
In a related operation, two drivers - a 69-year-old Polish man and a 49-year-old Lithuanian - were apprehended while allegedly attempting to transport migrants further west into Europe.
Investigations into their involvement are ongoing.
This is the fourth tunnel detected along the Poland-Belarus border in 2025.
Authorities emphasise that the combination of physical barriers and electronic surveillance enables rapid response to attempts to breach the border, reflecting the heightened security measures in the region.
(mp)
Source: IAR/PAP/X/@Straz_Graniczna