The most fatal incident of its kind occurred in Bulgaria at a time when the Balkan nation is dealing with an increase in illegal border crossings.
On Friday, the bodies of 18 people who had suffocated in a truck while smuggling through Bulgaria were discovered by authorities.

The most fatal incident of its kind occurred in Bulgaria at a time when the Balkan nation is dealing with an increase in illegal border crossings.

According to officials, the truck was carrying 52 migrants “hidden under some wood.”
The police were notified by locals, and they located the truck near Lokorsko, a village 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Sofia.

The scene was horrifying, with bodies spread out on the grass around the vehicle.

According to Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, “they died from asphyxia — too many people in too small a place.”

He continued, “This is the deadliest incident involving migrants in Bulgaria given the number of victims.”

According to Sarafov, the smugglers fled when they noticed the deaths, and the victims had died between 10 and 12 hours before their bodies were discovered.

In the case, four Bulgarians have been held as suspects.

34 people who were found alive were taken to the hospital.

Health Minister Asen Medjidiev earlier told journalists, “They were cold, drenched, and they certainly had not eaten for a few days.”

While Sarafov claimed that the youngest victim was a teenager, the health ministry stated that the deceased included a child who was between the ages of six and seven.

He went on to say that, based on the initial information, the people on the truck came from Afghanistan.

The group entered Bulgaria “a few days ago” after crossing the border fence in the southeastern Yambol region from Turkey, according to Sarafov.

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and a gateway into the bloc, has been working to tighten security to prevent an increasing number of people from trying to cross the border.

Along its 234-kilometer (145-mile) barbed wire border with Turkey, the nation has increased security measures.

According to statistics provided by the interior ministry, border police stopped 164,000 “irregular crossing” attempts in 2022, compared to 55,000 in 2021.

Bulgaria’s bid to join the Schengen border-free zone was stopped in December by Austria and the Netherlands.

Asylum seekers have claimed that they have been pushed back, locked up, stripped, and beaten while trying to cross the border from Turkey to Bulgaria. These accusations have grown in recent years.

The allegations have been repeatedly refuted by the authorities of Bulgaria.

Last year, people driving illegally collided with police cars, resulting in the deaths of three officers.

Bulgaria has requested two billion euros ($2.1 billion) from the EU to strengthen the border fence and enhance surveillance, but Brussels has so far declined.

The horrifying finding on Friday drew comparisons to previous cases.

At the height of Europe’s migration crisis in August 2015, the bodies of 71 migrants, including a baby girl, were discovered in the back of a poultry refrigerator lorry that had been left in Austria.

In connection with the case, a court in Hungary has sentenced an Afghan and three Bulgarians to life in prison.

In 2019, a refrigerated truck carrying 39 Vietnamese migrants from mainland Europe was discovered in Britain with their bodies inside.

In recent years, similar but less deadly incidents have occurred in Croatia, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands.