Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Police reveal horrific details of migrant deaths near Sofia

Photo: Archive

The secret compartment of the timber truck in which the Afghan migrants died of suffocation was meant for 25-30 people. Out of greed, the traffickers crammed in 52, Borislav Sarafov, director of the National Investigative Service, told a news briefing. 

They transported the migrants from the Turkish border to the border with Serbia. The traffickers were paid between 5,000 and 7,000 euros via the hawala system. The driver took 100 euros per person and the leader - around 1,000 euros per person. 

The 6-member criminal group prepared the hiding places themselves, lined with foil so that body heat would not be detected by X-ray. After Trayanova Vrata mountain pass, the traffickers heard a thumping sound, but did not stop. The victims suffocated for between 30 and 60 minutes. Outside Sofia, the pounding intensified. The drivers stopped. Seeing the suffocating migrants and understanding that there were casualties, they fled.

On Friday police in Bulgaria discovered an abandoned truck containing the bodies of 18 migrants from Afghanista, who appeared to have suffocated to death inside a secret compartment under a load of lumber.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

48.3% want to vote for National Assembly and 47.4% for European Parliament

290,000 Bulgarians who wish to vote on June 9 have not decided yet whom they will cast their vote for. This is 10% of those who said they would go to the polls, Dobromir Zhivkov from "Market Links" has told bTV. According to the..

published on 6/5/24 11:35 AM

Bulgaria outlines its priorities in the EU before the change of presidency in June

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov met with the heads of embassies of EU Member States in Bulgaria, the ministry reported. The meeting was organized on the initiative of Frederic Meuris, ambassador of the Kingdom of..

published on 6/5/24 10:04 AM

Sofia University remains among the best 750 higher education institutions in the world

Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" ranked 741-750 in the QS World University Rankings of the most prestigious universities in the world for 2024. Sofia University has been part of the ranking since 2014.  This year's ranking..

published on 6/5/24 8:55 AM