Austrian police find bodies of dozens of dead migrants in lorry 'for some time'

At least 20 migrants have been found dead in a lorry in Austria.

Austrian police find bodies of dozens of dead migrants in lorry 'for some time'

At least 20 migrants have been found dead in a lorry in Austria.

Austrian police said the bodies were discovered on a road leading from the Hungarian border.

The lorry was parked on the hard shoulder of the highway.

Police believe the victims had been dead for some time, telling state broadcaster ORF that the bodies appeared partially decomposed.

Burgenland province police chief Peter Doskozil said the lorry, which had Hungarian licence plates, was apparently abandoned on Wednesday and its back door was left open, exposing the bodies.

He said the state of the bodies made it difficult to say how many there were in the lorry but estimated it could be up to 50.

Police ordered reporters converging on the scene about 25 miles south-east of Vienna, to move away from the vehicle, a white refrigeration lorry with images of food items on it.

Interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner condemned the traffickers.

“Human smugglers are criminals,” she said in a statement. “Those who still think that they are gentle helpers of refugees are beyond saving.”

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