Second people smuggling tragedy in Austria narrowly averted: police

Following the deaths of 71 illegal immigrants in a truck in Austria in late August, police have revealed a second similar tragedy was narrowly averted.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, police chief for the state of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil, said an additional 81 persons were in a similarly deadly predicament in another truck of almost the exact same type as the one found on Aug. 27. The second truck was discovered by police on the same day as the first.

The 81 migrants had also been part of a people-smuggling operation, which Doskozil said was run by "definitely the same offenders," as both vehicles were registered to the same owner. He also said one of the people smugglers in custody in Hungary was behind the organization of this trip.

However, the second vehicle, also a refrigerator truck, had a side door, unlike the one in which the tragedy occurred, which the passengers were able to force open with a crowbar while the vehicle was in motion.

The driver then let them out in the town of Gols near the Hungarian border, not far from Parnsdorf where the initial tragedy occurred.

Doskozil said the truck in which the 71 people died could have been the first trip of the same operation, or that in theory both could have departed Hungary at the same time.

He said that following their apprehension, the 81 illegal immigrants then had their asylum applications processed, and were transported to refugee living quarters. Endit