Arrests in Italy, Hungary, over migrant deaths

Story highlights Migrant on a ship says smugglers charged money to come out to breathe, U.N.
official saysThose who died in Austria were likely fleeing war-ravaged Syria Those who died in
Austria -- most likely fleeing war-ravaged Syria -- probably suffocated inside the truck abandoned on
a highway, authorities said Friday.
Sixty of the 71 victims were men. Eight women died, as did three children, ages 2, 3 and 8.
"We are talking about human trafficking, homicide, even murder," said Johann Fuchs, state
prosecutor of Eisenstadt.
News of the deaths comes as Europe is struggling to deal with a record swell of migrants and
refugees traveling by land and sea to find a better life or escape conflict at home in the Middle East
and Africa.
United Nations officials have called on European officials to improve their efforts to resolve the
growing humanitarian crisis, including dealing with human traffickers preying on refugees.
"This tragedy underscores the ruthlessness of people smugglers who have expanded their business
from the Mediterranean Sea to the highways of Europe," said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for
the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "It shows they have no regard for
human life and are only after profit."
The truck was found Thursday, abandoned on the side of the A4 highway, which links Budapest in
Hungary to the Austrian capital, Vienna. When police opened it, they found the bodies decomposing
in the heat.
They found a Syrian travel document inside the truck.
"We must assume now that these are refugees," said Hans Peter Doskozil, police director of Austria's
Burgenland region. "In concrete terms, it is possible this is a Syrian refugee group."
Hungarian police said they had arrested three Bulgarian citizens and an Afghan citizen in
connection with the truck.
"We are likely looking at a Bulgarian-Hungarian people smuggling ring," Fuchs said.
About 3,000 trucks pass through that area of the highway daily, and checking each one of them is
almost impossible, authorities said. Most human smugglers use smaller cars, making the use of
trucks unusual.
How you can help in the migrant crisis
Deaths in the Mediterranean In addition to the deaths of refugees trying to cross into Europe by
road, thousands are making the perilous journey by sea.
Italian authorities said Friday they had arrested 10 people on suspicion of multiple homicide in the
discovery of 52 bodies aboard a boat packed with migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya this

week, police in Sicily said Friday. The suspects could also face additional charges of aiding illegal
migration and kidnapping, according to police.
Two boats carrying hundreds of people from various nations capsized near the Libyan city of
Zuwara, killing at least 84 people, officials said Friday.
At least 198 people have been rescued, while 18 others remain missing, said Mohammed Al-Misrati,
a spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent.
One of the boats went down Wednesday, while a second one capsized Thursday, he said.
The Red Crescent, along with the Libyan coast guard, rescued dozens of people from African
countries and from Syria.
In all, some 300,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Greece and Italy this year
alone, according to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Of those, at least 2,373 have died, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Survivors of sea passages told harrowing tales, the United Nations' Fleming said, such as being
charged money to come out of the ship's hold to breathe.
She said a 25-year-old man from Sudan told United Nations employees, "We didn't want to go down
there but they beat us with sticks to force us. We had no air so we were trying to get back up
through the hatch and breathe through the cracks in the ceiling. But other passengers were scared
that the boat would capsize so they pushed us back down and beat us, too. Some were stomping on
our hands."
Things to know about Europe's migrant crisis
Comprehensive response urgedUnited Nations officials are calling on European leaders to organize
a collective response to the needs of migrants and refugees flooding the continent.
"UNHCR hopes this incident will result in strong cooperation among European police forces,
intelligence agencies and international organizations to crack down on the smuggling trade while
putting in place measures to protect and care for victims," Fleming said.
The deaths in Austria highlight the need for a better strategy, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna
Mikl-Leitner said.
"This horrible crime shows that we must get even tougher in the battle against people smuggling,"
she said. "People smugglers are criminals and not well-minded helpers. They do not care about the
well-being of the refugees, they care about profit."
Why migrants head to the Mediterranean
CNN's Laura Perez Maestro and Lindsay Isaac contributed to this report.