71 refugees suffocated in truck found in Austria

71 refugees suffocated in truck found in Austria

Vienna's Kronen Zeitung daily cited Austria's Interior Ministry who said the victims were "all adults." However, later on Friday, the ministry announced there were 59 men, eight women, and four children among the victims who suffocated.

The evidence found inside the truck left on the A4 highway suggests that the victims were attempting to open the door, but failed. A crack was discovered in the truck's cabin, on the passenger side, that the trapped people made as they tried to free themselves.

The truck had crossed into Austria from Hungary, and the Austrian police believe that "a number" of refugees were already dead at this point.

The investigation has showed that the 7.5 ton truck left Budapest early on Wednesday and reached the border with Austria at about 9 a.m. the same day, crossing the border the following night. It was abandoned near the town of Parndorf early on Thursday, at 5 or 6 a.m.

The truck was previously owned by a Slovak poultry company, whose branding was still on the vehicle when the police discovered it. The company is owned by Czech Finance Minister and Deptuy Prime Minister Andrej Babis. However, the vehicle was legally purchased by a Romanian citizen, who registered it in Hungary.

The Austrian police said they were working with colleagues from Hungary to find the smuggler who drove the truck and escaped the scene. According to media, "the trail leads to Hungary." The Hungarian police said on Friday they questioned seven persons and detained three in connection with the case: "Two Bulgarians and a third person who had Hungarian documents."

The Austrian Interior Ministry said earlier it will continue to look not only for the driver, but also the persons behind him, as it is suspected an organized gang of smugglers from Romania is responsible.

The tragedy has shaken the public in Austria and across Europe, with some politicians qualifying it as mass murder, and "calling for the fight against people smugglers to be stepped up."