Six Bulgarians have been indicted in connection with the tragic death of 18 Afghan migrants and refugees found in a truck abandoned on a dirt road near the capital Sofia. The suspects face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and participating in organised crime and people smuggling.
The truck was transporting the Afghans who had arrived from Turkey and were heading towards Western Europe via Serbia, initial investigations showed. Hristo Krastev, a spokesman for the Sofia Public Prosecutor’s Office, said the six Bulgarians included the alleged ringleader of the smuggling group. One of the suspects remains at large and was indicted in absentia, while two others who had been arrested are not expected to be charged.
Deputy Attorney General Borislav Sarafov said that the truck’s drivers heard loud noises and knocks coming from the back but only stopped later, when they discovered the dead victims and fled. He described the incident as an “extraordinary human tragedy”, noting that the people transported were “curled up and pushed against each other like in a tin can”, dying slowly and painfully for 30 to 60 minutes.
Investigators said that some of the 34 people who were rescued remained in hospital, some for carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling exhaust pipe gases. The victims, believed to be aged between 13 to 35, had paid up to 7,000 euros ($7,500) each to the smugglers, Sarafov said. He added that the hiding places were lined with aluminium foil to make the migrants’ presence undetectable to thermal cameras.
Bulgaria, an EU member that serves as a gateway for many refugees and migrants hoping to enter the bloc, has been trying to tighten security to stop a rising number of people seeking to cross via its southern border with Turkey. The Balkan nation has also faced mounting accusations of abuses by security forces trying to stop people from entering, with asylum seekers saying they have been pushed back, locked up, stripped and beaten. Bulgaria has denied the allegations.
In 2015, three Bulgarian truck drivers were arrested and later charged with the deaths of 71 migrants found dead beside an Austrian motorway. In October 2019, British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England. Police said all the victims, who ranged in age from 15 to 44, came from impoverished villages in Vietnam and were believed to have paid smugglers to take them on a risky journey to better lives abroad. They died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space.
Six Bulgarians have been indicted in connection with the tragic death of 18 Afghan migrants and refugees found in a truck abandoned near Sofia. The suspects face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and participating in organised crime and people smuggling. The truck was transporting Afghans who had arrived from Turkey and were heading towards Western Europe via Serbia.
Deputy Attorney General Borislav Sarafov said that the truck’s drivers heard loud noises and knocks coming from the back but only stopped later, when they discovered the dead victims and fled. He described it as an “extraordinary human tragedy”, noting that the people transported were “curled up and pushed against each other like in a tin can”, dying slowly and painfully for 30 to 60 minutes.
Investigators said that some of the 34 people who were rescued remained in hospital, some for carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling exhaust pipe gases. The victims had paid up to 7,000 euros ($7,500) each to the smugglers, Sarafov said. He added that the hiding places were lined with aluminium foil to make the migrants’ presence undetectable to thermal cameras.
Bulgaria has been trying to tighten security to stop a rising number of people seeking to cross via its southern border with Turkey. The Balkan nation has also faced mounting accusations of abuses by security forces trying to stop people from entering, with asylum seekers saying they have been pushed back, locked up, stripped and beaten. Bulgaria has denied these allegations.
In 2015, three Bulgarian truck drivers were arrested and later charged with the deaths of 71 migrants found dead beside an Austrian motorway. In October 2019, British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England. Police said all the victims were believed to have paid smugglers to take them on a risky journey to better lives abroad, but died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space.
The tragic deaths of these 18 Afghan migrants and refugees serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by people smuggling operations. It is essential that governments work together to ensure that those who are vulnerable are protected from exploitation by criminal gangs and traffickers.