7 arrested after bodies of 18 migrants found in truck in Bulgaria

Bulgarian authorities have arrested seven people in connection with an abandoned truck in which the bodies of 18 people believed to be migrants were found, Police said.

The police discovered the passengers in a secret compartment below a load of timber, which was left parked on a highway not far from the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

Director of the Bulgarian National Investigation Service, Borislav Sararov, confirmed that all the victims died of suffocation, and described the case as the deadliest in the country in relation to illegal immigrants.

Health Minister Assen Medzhidiev said some of the survivors were in very bad condition.

“They have suffered from lack of oxygen, their clothes are wet, they are freezing, and obviously haven’t eaten for days,” Medzhidiev said.

Authorities said all passengers were originally from Afghanistan and entered Bulgaria from Turkey while hoping to reach Western European countries.

The seven suspects have been arrested at various locations across Bulgaria, and investigators are working to determine whether the truck driver is among them.

E.M