Three Europol employees have been sent to Bulgaria to investigate the tragedy with the 18 dead migrants found in a truck near the village of Lokorsko, European Commission sources said. Two officers have been sent to assist the border police and an analyst in the Directorate-General Combating Organized Crime. Immediately after the incident, the Bulgarian authorities turned to Europol for help, BNR sources added.

According to EC spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, this case will not affect the Commission's position on Bulgaria's entry into Schengen. "The challenges of migration are common to the whole of EU," she said.