Poland to build wall on its border with Belarus

The Polish government has signed deals with several local companies to build a wall along its border with Belarus, Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik announced on Tuesday.

The barrier is built on the basis of a law on border security that came into force last October.

The law was voted through parliament as a reaction to large numbers of migrants attempting to cross into Poland from Belarus.

The barrier will consist of 5-meter tall steel posts with barbed wire on top, stretching for over 186 km.

"A special task force was set up to make preparations for the construction of the protective border wall," Wasik said, adding that the signing of the contracts marked the completion of the first phase of the project.

At a cost of around 1.6 billion zloty ($395 million), the barrier is slated to be completed by June this year.