- 18 people, including a child, were found dead in an abandoned truck.
- He stated that the people in the vehicle were cold and wet, and had not eaten in days.
- It is thought to be Bulgaria’s deadliest migrant-related tragedy.
Bulgarian police have made four arrests after 18 people, including a child, were found dead in an abandoned truck in Bulgaria, its government says.
The truck appeared to be conveying a bunch of migrants illegally.
Thirty-four individuals, including five children, were evacuated to hospitals, with several in severe condition, according to the health ministry.
He stated that the people in the vehicle were cold and wet, and had not eaten in days.
It is thought to be Bulgaria’s deadliest migrant-related tragedy.
Bulgaria has traditionally struggled to deal with significant numbers of migrants attempting to join the EU from Turkey.
The vehicle, discovered near the village of Lokorsko, 12 miles (20 kilometers) north-east of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, was unlawfully transporting the migrants in secret compartments, authorities said.
Health Minister Asen Medzhidiev described the conditions inside the truck: “There has been a lack of oxygen to those who were locked in this truck. They were freezing, wet, they have not eaten for several days.”
Authorities suspect those discovered were transported into Serbia illegally from Afghanistan.
According to Atanas Ilkov, a senior police official, one of the four people apprehended had already been jailed for human trafficking.
Bulgaria has been accused of torturing asylum seekers attempting to enter from Turkey, with asylum seekers reporting being prevented, arrested, stripped, and beaten.
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