Zambia clarifies on dead foreigners in containerized truck

Immigration authorities in Zambia on Friday said that the foreigners who died in a containerized truck in a suspected human trafficking syndicate were not Somalians but Ethiopians.

Meanwhile, the number of the Ethiopians who died on Wednesday night due to suffocation has risen to 19.

Immigration Department Spokesperson Namati Nshinka confirmed that a Zambian registered truck was intercepted on Wednesday eight kilometers from a border control in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which corresponds to Chembe border control on the Zambian side along the Pedicle Roar, a route shared by the two countries.

"Alerted by motorists who heard banging sounds emanating from the container of the truck, the Congolese officials stopped the truck and discovered 73 Ethiopians behind bags of fish and beans. Eleven of the 73 Ethiopians were reported deceased at the time the container was opened, this number has since risen to 19," he said in a statement.

He said the deceased may have suffocated due to poor ventilation in the container, adding that the bodies have since been transferred to Ndola Central Hospital Mortuary in the Ndola city in the Copperbelt Province.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the foreigners entered northern Zambia from Tanzania, he added.

He added that the department was currently working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to transfer the surviving 54 Ethiopians to Lusaka, the country's capital in order to attend to their immediate needs such as food and medical care because most of them were weak because of the ordeal they suffered.

"This is a suspected case of human trafficking or smuggling and investigations have since been instituted. Their final destination is believed to have been South Africa," he said.

"This tragic incident should remind everyone that the masterminds of these vicious and evil transnational crimes are willing to do just about anything to get away with their criminal activities, even if it means putting the lives of their victims in grave danger," he added.

The crew of the truck has since been arrested. Endit