The bodies of more than 70 dead migrants are been inside a truck found on a highway in Austria near the Hungarian border on Thursday.
The vehicle, which police initially believed contained between 20 and 50 bodies, was found on a parking strip off the highway in Burgenland state, police spokesman Hans Peter Doskozil said at a press conference with Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner.
The interior ministry said Friday morning that colleagues had been recovering the bodies throughout the night and they confirmed that no children are among the victims. “Today is a dark day… This tragedy affects us all deeply,” Mikl-Leitner said on Thursday.
“Human traffickers are criminals. Anyone still thinking that they’re kind helpers cannot be helped.” The truck was sold to a Romanian man living in central Hungary. Police across Europe have been alerted and are hunting for him in connection with the tragedy.
The “horrible” discovery of dead migrants on a truck in Austria is a warning to Europe to get to grips with the migrant crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “We were all shaken by the horrible news that up to 50 people died… although these were people coming to seek safety,” Merkel said in Vienna.
“This is a warning to work to resolve this problem and show solidarity”. Western Balkan countries are facing “huge challenges” handling tens of thousands of migrants trying to get to the EU, she added.
“It is our responsibility to help them.”
