The Global Refugee Crisis
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Tens of thousands of people are fleeing civil war and unrest to find new homes in Europe—sometimes with tragic consequences. The U.N. estimates that more people have been displaced than at any time since World War II. Scroll down to see the stories on this topic.
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Krishnadev Calamur
7:54 AM / August 28, 2015
Europe's Migrant Crisis: Death Toll in Austria Raised to 71
People light candles Thursday in front of the police station in Eisenstadt, Austria, in tribute to the migrants whose bodies were found inside an abandoned truck. (Ronald Zak / AP)
This post was updated on August 28 at 9 a.m. ET
Here's what we know this morning about the bodies that were found in an abandoned truck in Austria on Thursday:
-- Officials now say there were 71 people in the truck, and that it's likely the Syrian migrants suffocated.
-- Three people were arrested in Hungary in connection with the discovery. One of them is reported to be the truck's owner; the other two the drivers.
Authorities say the truck left the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on Wednesday, and entered Austria later that night. Police discovered the bodies Thursday morning when they were called to look into an abandoned truck on the side of the highway.
The bodies were decomposing. Officials initially said the number of people inside was between 20 and 50. Today they said there were 71: 59 men, eight women, and four children.
Hans Peter Doskozil, the police chief in Burgenland province, said today a travel document that was found in the vehicle suggests the migrants were Syrian. He said preliminary analysis showed the refrigerated truck did not have ventilation, and the migrants probably suffocated. They were dead for between 1½ and two days, he said.
"We are talking about a Bulgarian-Hungarian human-trafficking operation," Doskozil said.
As we told you yesterday, the world is in the midst of the worst refugee crisis since World War II. Migrants are trying to escape civil wars in Syria and Libya, and instability in other parts of the Middle East and Africa.
Many of them pay human traffickers large sums of money to take them to a Europe that is increasingly unable to cope with the flow. Here's more from the Guardian:
The EU has found itself overwhelmed by the sheer scale of migration, with a record number of 107,500 migrants crossing the EU's border last month. Chaotic attempts by Macedonian police to hold back refugees last week failed. On Wednesday, the UN's refugee agency said it expected 3,000 people a day to enter Macedonia from Greece until at least the end of the year.
Berlin, backed by Austria, wants a new system of mandatory quotas for refugees across the EU despite the issue being rejected in acrimonious scenes by EU leaders at a summit in June. Germany expects 800,000 asylum applications this year. The EU has also proposed a common "safe countries of origin" list, which would see migrants from these nations swiftly deported.
With the EU's common border policy increasingly dysfunctional, member states are taking matters into their own hands. Hungary is building a new fence along its border with Serbia, though this week refugees got through with relative ease.
Separately, hundreds of migrants are believed to have died when the two boats that were carrying them sank yesterday off Libya.
Ibrahim al-Attoushi, an official with the Red Crescent, said 198 people had been rescued, 82 bodies had been recovered, and about 100 people are still missing. The BBC adds:
The UN says about 2,400 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year.
More than 100,000 others have landed in Italy, whilst another 160,000 have crossed to Greece.
Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said at a press briefing in Geneva today that the number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year exceeds 300,000. She said almost 200,000 people have landed in Greece; 110,000 in Italy. In all of 2014, she said, around 219,000 people crossed the Mediterranean.
1:41 PM / August 27, 2015
Europe's Migrant Crisis: A Grisly Discovery in Austria
Police examine the abandoned truck near Parndorf, Austria. (AP Photo / Ronald Zak)
Austrian authorities say up to 50 migrants were found dead today in a truck abandoned on the side of the highway in the eastern part of the country.
The discovery coincided with a meeting in Vienna in which European leaders discussed the worst migrant crisis since World War II.
Hans Peter Doskozil, who heads the police department in Burgenland district, said the deaths occurred some time ago. He said the bodies were decomposing, and that there are at least 20 of them. The toll could rise to between 40 and 50, he said.
"We can make no concrete assumptions about the origin or cause [of death]," he said. "We can assume, however, that they are refugees."
Local media reported the refrigerated truck was abandoned Wednesday on the side of a highway between the towns of Neusiedl and Parndorf. It was discovered by a road worker who noticed a liquid dripping from the back. Police are looking for its driver.
The truck had Hungarian plate , and was previously owned by a Slovakian poultry company that said it sold the vehicle last year. Hungarian officials say the vehicle is now registered to a Romanian.
European officials said the discovery underscored the need for united action on dealing with the continent's refugee flow.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who is attending the Vienna meeting, said she was "shaken by the awful news."
"This reminds us that we in Europe need to tackle the problem quickly and find solutions in the spirit of solidarity," she said.
Johannes Hahn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, tweeted:
"Discussing w.#ForeignMinisters common approach to tackle #migration crisis amidst breaking news on dead refugees1/2 pic.twitter.com/vuObSHyM55
— Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) August 27, 2015
"Just another terrible incident, illustrating the urgent need for quick and determined common action". 2/2
Last month, a record 107,500 migrants crossed into the EU. The crisis has been sparked by the civil wars in Libya and Syria, as well as unrest in the Middle East and Africa. The migrants are aided by smugglers who transport them into Europe often via trucks. European officials are deeply divided on how to tackle the issue.
Austria and Germany want quotas that would ensure the migrants are distributed among the bloc's 28 members states. But other European countries, notably the U.K., strongly oppose this plan.
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