Five arrested in connection with the death of 18 migrants in a lorry near Sofia

Five people have been detained in connection with the death of 18 migrants, including a child. They were found dead in an abandoned lorry near the village of Lokorsko, Sofia district on February 17.

A total of 34 injured are in hospital. Among them there are 5 children.

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

52 migrants, all known to be from Afghanistan, were loaded in the lorry. They were literally crammed into a concealment built in the bottom of the vehicle under the load, which was timber. Part of the concealment was not well insulated and exhaust fumes from the lorry were going into it.

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

"Several of the migrants in the lorry suffocated. We are currently looking at 18 bodies and 34 surviving Afghan nationals here. As far as we know from what they say, these are Afghan nationals. The survivors are currently being interviewed at the National Investigation Service and some of them are being given medical assistance at the relevant medical facilities," said Borislav Sarafov, deputy Chief Prosecutor and Head of the National Investigation Service.

The lorry was registered in Targovishte, the migrants entered the country a few days ago. They crossed the border by climbing over the fence with a ladder. They were loaded into the lorry in a forest area near Yambol. Fingerprints and DNA traces have been taken from the lorry to establish exactly who was driving and who was in it.

"Three people have been detained under the Interior Ministry Act. They have not yet been charged. At the moment, besides the fact that we are working here, investigative actions are being carried out at three locations – two in Sofia and one in the countryside," said Borislav Sarafov, deputy Chief Prosecutor and Head of the National Investigation Service.

The homes of the detainees are being searched. The exact route of the lorry from the border area to where it was abandoned has also been established.

My colleagues have just reported that we have a fourth detainee. These are individuals we have ample reason to believe are involved in the act in connection with the smuggling activity. One of the persons has several pre-trial proceedings. In the latest one, he has a conviction, which he has served - an effective sentence of 5 months," said Atanas Ilkov, director of the General Directorate of National Police.

The owner of the lorry is from the region of Bourgas and is also among the four detained.

"The persons who were detained are no strangers to this activity and are already known to the Ministry of Interior," said Iliana Kirilova, Sofia city prosecutor.

In the homes of the detainees, investigators are looking for evidence of smuggling and their involvement in transporting the group of illegal migrants. A DNA forensic examination will establish the identity of those who died in the lorry, as most of them have no identification documents.

"I just want to emphasize one thing - the person who is at the bottom of this thing that led to this tragic incident is a man with a previous criminal record, a man sentenced for migrant smuggling. And if you recall, we tabled a draft law in Parliament asking that the penalties be raised to prevent people from carrying out such activities. Here you have an example of what this leads to. Did anyone do anything - no, no one did anything," caretaker Minister of Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, said.

The 34 injured migrants, including 5 children, have been admitted in several hospitals in Sofia - "Pirogov", Military Medical Academy (MMA), "St. Anna", the hospital of the Ministry of Interior, ISUL and "Tokuda".

Four of them were intubated at the MMA, the general condition of the other victims is relatively good.

The migrants were found in wet clothes and suffering from frostbite, some of them barefoot. According to the medical specialists, they had probably not eaten enough food or taken enough fluids over the past few days. They are currently receiving intravenous infusions.

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