Over 10,000 people join hands in Vilnius to mark 30 years since Baltic Way

Over 10,000 people joined hands to form a human chain in Vilnius on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, organizers said.

The human chain started in the capital's central Cathedral Square and stretched for around seven kilometers to Ukmerge Street, Tomas Aleknovicius, one of the organizers told BNS.

About 12,000 people took part in the event, according to Aleknovicius.

"The number was twice as high as expected," he said.

On August 23, 1989, over a million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians formed a 600-kilometer human chain from Vilnius to Tallinn, sending a message to the world about their aspiration to break free from the Soviet Union.