Updated 2.12pm
DOZENS OF PEOPLE were found dead in a truck on an Austrian motorway today.
It is understood they suffocated to death.
Police in Austria have said the deceased were migrants but it is not yet clear how long they had been in the lorry.
According to local reports, between 20 and 50 bodies were discovered in the vehicle. It was found on a parking strip off the highway in Burgenland. It had been there since Wednesday and initial indications are that the driver fled.
Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum is at the scene and has been tweeting about the forensic work being done on site. She has also given a sense of the terrible smell of death that has surrounded the area.
Forensic examiners will need a number of days to secure evidence from the scene.
At a press conference, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the “tragedy affects us all deeply”.
“Human traffickers are criminals. Anyone still thinking that they’re kind helpers cannot be helped.”
The horrific find comes as Europe tries to get to grips with an influx of migrants from war and poverty torn states in the Middle East and Africa.
So far in 2015, a record number of people have braved long sea and land journeys in attempts to enter EU states.
An investigation is being launched which will include police from Hungary.
Meanwhile, Angela Merkel has said the “horrible” event is a warning to Europe to deal with the crisis.
“We were all shaken by the horrible news that up to 50 people died… although these were people coming to seek safety,” Merkel said in Vienna. “This is a warning to work to resolve this problem and show solidarity”.
With reporting AFP
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I thought the idea of justice was to punish the offender, not the victim.
@Brian Ward: Not in god’s top holy city.
@Teene Nyantoon: Not in Ireland either, unfortunately.
Who is the offender? She was the one profiting from the act.
Michael J she was underage, didn’t you read it? That makes him an offender
No. It makes her an underage offender.
@Michael J: note to self make sure all under age girls are kept far away from Michael j.
@Dell. Don’t worry. I don’t go with prostitutes of any age.
@Michael J:… I doubt you have any experience of going with any women and I’m hoping none with little girls. it is telling however that you think prostitution is wrong but you have no problem with paedophilia.
@Dell. Ask your Ma.
@Michael J: necrophilia as well as paedophilia.. Well I’m guessing they would have to be dead or too young to know what they were doing in order for you to get your way with them.
Necrophilia, bestiality and sadism too … Is he flogging a dead horse? Lol. The old ones are the best.
Strange sentencing but I suppose he did get time to serve. Not a bad idea for culprits, to have to (as well as doing their time), contribute to an education fund for child prostitutes, given the background of many of these girls.
Perhaps the guilty 35yr old man should made to read them himself as he appears to be the one lacking in morals….not the 15yr old girl, who is just a child.
@Al Ca: nah,girls just need to keep their legs closed, simple stuff really…
(heavy sarcasm)
if you spread those legs you need feminism in your life not counciling or justice or no future contact with the convicted via educational “gifts”.
I’m surprised they didn’t give them both buybulls and mother Thesera’s special prayers.
A ridiculous slap on the wrist for a dirty old man who is probably loaded and the books will cost at most €300. He should have been put in jail and kept there for as long as it takes him to transcribe the 30 books by hand. He is the one who needs to read books, and the girl may not even be very literate if she was a prostitute already at the age of 14.
@David Quim: look up the consent age history of the vatican, No surprise two years is what you get for child rape,maybe they think satan made the men rape the children so technically man’ s not at fault?
@David Quim: Maybe you should read the article first before losing the rag. The man was sentenced to 2 years in jail and the pimp to 9 years.
@Brian Ward: both crimes should have longer prison terms….
@Teene Nyantoon: The age of consent in the Vatican mirrors the age of consent in Italy, it always has. In general the laws in the Vatican are roughly the same as Italy’s.
@Brian Ward: How general?
@Teene Nyantoon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Vatican_City
Up to 2008 they basically adopted Italian law but there was a big load of changes in 2013 especially when they realised that what with Italy turning all heathen like there might be a very awkward situation where Italy would adopt laws on abortion or right to die which would then automatically become Vatican law. That wouldn’t go down too well with Il Papa and the Curia!
@Brian Ward: Smart men.
The jail sentences are pathetic.
@Brian Ward: Thanks for the link.
Age of consent doesn’t come into it as she was of consenting age, the age for legal prostitution is 18 though and the maximum sentence for hire a prostitute under that age is 3 years.
@Deborah Behan: I actually feel ill having read this, I’m going to my happy AND safe place now.
They need to open brothers because the pimping is still going on, start a f*ck the poor co-op. very good for tourism.
@Dave O Keeffe: Girls not legal,you realise your talking about pope country right? these people preach chastity FFS. They let children marry…..
Teene, the age if consent in Italy is 14. The legal age for prostitution is 18.
A very novel idea that. . Someone should write a book about it.
children who got carried away with the debauchery, without restraint, so they could easily earn money”. wow
“The decision suggests that the judge favoured a remedy that would help the young girl to understand the real ‘damage’ that she had suffered was damage to her dignity as a woman,” wrote the Corriere della Sera daily.
Holy cow…raped child is now magically a woman.
Lucky they weren’t underage boys, they could have been ordered to pay child support.
@Jeffrey McMahon: explain.
@Jeffrey McMahon: “luckily’?
The teenage girl should advise the judge and the accused as to where they can shove their books.
The judge says the real damage was “damage to her dignity as a woman”. I don’t know about that. By the sound of it they were well,paid and loved the proceeds of their arrangement. My only problem with this is their age. There’s no “indignity” for the woman in prostitution if she’s of age and of sound mind and freely chooses to make money by selling a commodity that some wants to pay for and no one else is hurt or affected in the process.
Never mind that they are too young to consent. Paedos often buy their victims presents would that be ok too?
@Deborah Behan: last time I checked age of consent is 18 in italy unless your married at 14 for girls and 16 for boys (girls mature faster and can give birth at this age fine).
@Teene Nyantoon: The age of consent in Italy which is up from 12 (I think ) a few years back.
@Brian Ward: 12? holy shit..
30 books on feminism?
As if the poor girl hasn’t suffered enough already.
Amazing how little a female’s life is worth in western civilization. Positive encouragement of rape of women and minors in our society, spurred on by lax sentencing from judges. Also made me physically ill to hear the lack of understanding from some of the commenters. It’s sad to think that so many of us are so backward after having so many opportunities to learn. I expect such behaviour from both church and state but it is sad when I hear ‘ordinary’ people harbour such ignorant views.
@Michael J: She is a child you jackass.
Too late, her parents should have done that job ;)
The influence of culture, the media and poverty? The fear of independence and living in austerity times???
So Italian judges are as eccentric and out of touch as our own. Still they are our best protection against over zealous policing.
So that young girl can grow up with unrealistic expectations and be as miserable and lost a little girl as the honorable judge.
@A hater: could be worse, he could have prescribed the Bible.
@Dell: Lol so true.
have your say