A child among the 18 migrants found dead in a lorry near Sofia

A total of 34 people have been hospitalised after the migrant suffocation incident near the village of Lokorsko, Sofia district on February 17.

18 migrants found dead in a concealment of a lorry on Sofia ring road (updated)

Five children are among the injured.

Eighteen people died, including one child aged 6-7 years.

"The patients hospitalized in “Pirogov” emergency hospital in Sofia are in serious condition, but not life-threatening. Everything that was needed, such as emergency care, resuscitation and tests, has been done by colleagues here," the caretaker Minister of Health Dr. Assen Medzhidiev said at a briefing in front of the hospital after he got acquainted with the health condition of the injured in the incident. Later, the caretaker health minister was also at the military hospital, where some of the migrants from the lorry were admitted.

The men were exposed to low temperatures, their clothes are wet, they have injuries all over their bodies, they have not eaten for several days, the minister told the briefing.

Aa at 5.30 p.m., 7 people were hospitalized in “Saint Anna” hospital, 8 were admitted in the Military Medical Academy (five in intensive care and three in toxicology), 7 in “Pirogov” (two of them in intensive care), 4 at the Tsaritsa Ioanna - ISUL University Hospital, 4 in Ajibadem City Clinic Tokuda University Hospital and four at the Medical Institute of the Ministry of Interior in Sofia.

Minister Medzhidiev pointed out that immediately after the alert about the incident, 6 teams were sent from the Emergency Medical Centre - Sofia. "At the moment we are dealing with the situation. Colleagues are responding extremely quickly and professionally. The medical institutions have immediately provided additional teams. We will provide the injured with the best possible medical assistance," Dr. Medzhidiev is adamant.