[ad_1]
According to the Lower Austrian state police department, people had paid between 6,000 and 8,000 euros and reported fear of death and lack of oxygen.
People flee to adjacent fields.
The discovery of the trailer dates from last Wednesday night, as reported today. Police were informed that numerous people got off the Ostautobahn (A4) at the Bruck ad Leitha West exit and fled into the surrounding fields. During a large-scale manhunt using an Air Police helicopter and several patrol cars, 38 Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish citizens were provisionally detained in accordance with the Aliens Police Act. Some of them were in poor health and were treated by rescuers.
Hatch on the refrigerated trailer
Investigations by the Lower Austrian Regional Criminal Police Office revealed that the transport had arrived in Austria from Romania via Hungary. During the search of the seized articulated vehicle, officers noticed a hatch or hatch cut into the floor of the vehicle at the rear of the refrigerated trailer.
There were cardboard rolls in the front area. They were stacked on top of each other in such a way that when the rear tail lift was opened, the view into the trailer was blocked. There were also numerous rolls of cardboard in the cargo area that were not secured. No possibility of ventilation was found in the refrigerated body of the trailer. According to police, the truck’s tachograph was tampered with. Agents found the necessary technical equipment in the vehicle. The shipping documents they took were forgeries.
From Turkey via Romania to Austria
The people who were dragged said they had arrived in Romania by various routes from Turkey. There they stayed for a long time in a dilapidated house, which housed a total of about 150 people. The journey in the truck trailer had taken place from a forest near the Hungarian border and the entry through the hatch.
A total of 37 adults and six children on board
A total of 43 people, including six underage children, were on board. Many people have temporarily passed out. A person has completely collapsed. In the event of a quasi-forced stop, some of the people dragged away had fled.
While trying to rescue an unconscious person through the hatch, the truck kept moving. One person was nearly run over, according to dramatic accounts. By the time the heavy vehicle came to a stop again later, in Bruck ad Leitha, and the driver drove away, everyone in the trailer used to escape.
Suspected human smuggler in Korneuburg prison
The 51-year-old, who lives in Romania, gave conflicting information about the trawl. He was admitted to Korneuburg Prison.
The fight against smuggling of people and illegal migration must continue steadily, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) commented on the current case. It is also about close cooperation, especially with the Western Balkan states.
“We are currently seeing an increase in the number of people towed,” said the head of the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner. The focus of the investigation is to dismantle the responsible criminal organization. Investigators assume that more victims and people have been smuggled.
(Those: APA)
